


We Are the Broken Ones, Who Chose to Spark the Flame

by CsjLam, Knight_Breath, Wolfslick6007



Category: We Are The Tigers - Allen
Genre: All TWs are in the beginning of each chapter, DND/Fantasy AU, F/F, F/M, Just with a partner this time, yes I am in fact doing another one of these - Wolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29240589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CsjLam/pseuds/CsjLam, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knight_Breath/pseuds/Knight_Breath, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfslick6007/pseuds/Wolfslick6007
Summary: Everyone has something they are running from. But sometimes, running can lead you to great places and greater people.Cairo and Riley are looking to escape after making a grave discovery. Along the way they find others escaping their own demons.None of them truly realize that there is a greater demon in the works... tying all of them together.
Relationships: Annleigh/Clark (We Are The Tigers), Cairo/Riley (We Are The Tigers), Chess/Farrah (We Are The Tigers), Kate/Eva Sanchez (We Are The Tigers)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from “Born For This” by The Score.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: fever, fighting/violence

The rain was pouring down in the night, clouds and water blocking out the light of the moon. A flash of lighting lit up the sky, revealing two figures sprinting through the woods.

Mud sloshed and splashed under their feet as they ran, desperation fueling them. One was grasping tightly to the other’s hand, keeping her close. The one lagging behind let out a yell as she tripped on the slippery surface, falling down into the mud.

The one who had been pulling her along rounded back in less than a second, helping her stand from the mud. “Are you okay?!”

There was a long pause before the reply, a whisper among the rain and thunder. “I think so…”

Before either could say another word, barely heard in the loud rain, they heard noises approaching them.

Shouting and hooves hitting the floor, getting ever so closer to where they stood.

The lead girl cursed and quickly began pulling her friend along again. They weaved through the trees and bushes, struggling against the rain pushing against them.

Neither was sure how long they ran for. But the sounds of inevitable capture growing closer and closer pushed them forward.

Until finally, through the blurring rain, one of them noticed a dark cave.

“In there!” The girl called over the pounding rain. The leading person quickly shifted, pulling them into the cave and behind a large rock.

Both of them sat, huddled together as the shouting voices grew closer. Their breath was caught in their throats as the noises grew closer… closer… and then faded once again.

They wait another long minute, not willing to risk their capture by moving too early.

And then slowly, one of the girls shifted and moved to sit on their knees in front of the other, who remained slumped against the rock. She raised her hand between them and closed her fist before opening it again.

Fire danced around the sorcerer’s palm, lighting up the cave around them. And with that light, they could see each other.

The girl slumped against the rock had red hair, long and trailing down her back. Her clothing was a dark black, covered by a dark cloak. Her eyes were barely held open, fluttering shut every few seconds.

The girl, an elf, kneeling in front of her had dark skin and black hair, trailing down her back and held by a headband behind her pointed ears. Her clothes were the exact same as the other girl’s. A bag was on her waist, holding food for the two of them. Two staffs were on her back, one for each of them. She looked concerned and frightened.

“Riley, are you okay?” The girl kneeling asked hurriedly.

“Cairo?” The redhead asked in barely more than a whisper. “I’m tired…”

Cairo frowned, setting fire to a pile of sticks and twigs before dispelling her magic. “Yeah, yeah I’m sure, Riley. But you’re safe now.”

“Cai?” Riley mumbled faintly, eyes fluttering closed again. “I don’t feel so good.”

She began to look faint and Cairo quickly leaned forward, resting both hands on Riley’s cheeks. “Hey, no, no. You stay awake a little longer alright? You can go to sleep soon…”

Cairo cursed under her breath, bringing a hand up to Riley’s forehead and feeling the heat of a fever immediately. “Those bastards...”

Cairo had wanted to keep moving. To get as far away as possible. But Riley was in no state to keep moving. The storm outside would only make her condition worse.

So Cairo sighed and moved so she was leaning against the rock again. She carefully lowered Riley so the other sorcerer’s head was on her lap. She began to run her fingers through Riley's hair. “Go to sleep, Ri. You’re safe…”

Riley’s breathing steadied out and she drifted off.

As Riley slept, Cairo grit her teeth, pressing her head back against the rock. Shit, they had barely made it out. What if they got caught now?

No, no… Cairo told herself. She wouldn’t let them get caught. They were going to be fine. They would make it to a town and figure out what to do from there.

It was all going to be okay. She would make sure of it.

Cairo didn’t let herself sleep that night, instead listening to the storm outside and paying close attention for shouting and hooves as the fire dimmed and faded.

She wouldn’t let anything happen to Riley.

Not again.

~~||~~||~~

Dawn arrived soon enough.

Cairo let out a breath of relief upon feeling that Riley’s fever had lowered. It wasn’t perfect, but it was at least something.

“Riley, it’s time to get up…” Cairo murmured, gently shaking Riley’s shoulder.

Riley woke slowly, blinking up at Cairo and at the stone around them. “Cai…? Did we really make it?”

Cairo smiled at her. “We’re out, Riley.” Her smile dipped into a frown. “But we aren’t clear just yet. So I need you to wake up, okay?”

Riley gave her a small smile, slowly sitting up with Cairo’s help. “Okay, I think I can.”

Cairo gave her a nod before standing and helping Riley up as well. “You’re still sick, so let’s take it slow, okay? We just need to reach a village.”

Riley’s smile grew bigger, more reassuring. “Don’t worry, Cai! I feel much better than I did yesterday. I’ll be fine.”

Cairo surveyed her for a moment before slowly nodding and placing her hands on Riley’s shoulders. “I know, but you still have a fever and I… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Riley gave her a teasing smile. “You’re going soft, Cairo!”

The duo of elf and human began to tease each other back and forth as they traversed the dirt path, still muddy from last night’s storm. Cairo kept Riley close to her, wary for any guards and wanting to keep an eye on Riley’s still present fever.

The sun rose higher and higher in the sky and Cairo frowned. How far was the town? Just how secluded had they been from society?

With what she knew now, it would make perfect sense.

Just as she was about to call for a break, Riley looking like she needed it, Cairo spotted the roofs in the distance.

She perked up and quickly began to tug Riley along. “Come on Ri, I see it up ahead!”

Riley looked just as excited upon spotting them herself and the two sped up. They had made it so far.

~~||~~||~~

The village was lively.

People walked around. Mothers were holding their eager child’s hands as they asked for something from the merchant stands. Shop doors were open, people entering and exiting. Lovers arm in arm heading down the sidewalk.

Cairo and Riley had both paused in surprise and awe at the sight of the village’s daily life.

“Cai?”

Cairo snapped out of it upon feeling a tug on her sleeve. Riley was next to her, frowning in concern.

“Yeah?” Cairo asked, blinking. Why did her eyes feel so heavy?

“I think we need to sit down somewhere…” Riley told her, almost warily. “I think you almost fell asleep standing there.”

Cairo frowned. Fallen asleep? She had just been standing and watching the village. Oh wait… her eyes did feel heavy, and she did remember them drifting close for a moment…

Maybe she really had almost fallen asleep.

Cairo didn’t argue as Riley took the lead now, keeping a gentle but firm grip on her hand. She found herself sitting soon enough, but Riley didn’t let go of her hand as she sat next to her.

“Are you okay, Cai?” Riley whispered to her. They sat on a bench in a crowd now, a stage in front of the benches.

Cairo forced herself awake. She couldn’t sleep now. She had to stay on guard, the guards could reach this village easily. They were probably still looking for them too.

Cairo gave Riley’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m fine, Ri. Just tired. We’ll get to an inn later today.”

Riley looked at her closely before relenting. “Alright… but we will be getting that room!”

Cairo chuckled and nodded. “Promise. Now…” she stifled a yawn. “Where are we?”

Riley perked up. “Well, I was just looking for a place to sit down, but there’s going to be a bard giving a performance in a few minutes!”

Cairo looked knowing. “And you want to watch?”

Riley nodded almost sheepishly. Cairo shrugged, squeezing Riley’s hand again. “Then let’s watch.” The elf said simply. “And then after, we can go find an inn or something.”

Riley beamed at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word the crowd quieted and a melody began to play.

A bard stood in the middle of the stage, a guitar in hand that they were playing. She was humming along to the beginning notes.

The bard donned a white long-sleeved collared shirt, with dark green vest worn over it. As they skipped closer to the audience, their pair of black pants came into view. Apart from that, they also wore a black choker around their neck and a pair of simple silver earrings.

Light shined onto their pale white skin, making them the centre of attention to everyone watching the performance. Their brown eyes beamed once they saw a specific person in the crowd, and a smile spread wide across their face.

The characteristics of a half-elf were present on the bard, predominantly the pointy ears they possess. Finally, they left their dark hair flowing freely, which surprisingly didn’t get in the way of their show.

Cairo almost fell asleep at the start. The slower melody had a calming effect. And her already sleep deprived head was easily guided towards the land of dreams. Her eyelids felt heavier than ever.

But then the melody sped up, becoming something much more fast paced. It was easier to stay awake then.

The performance went without a hitch. The bard never missed a single note, be it voice or instrument. She didn’t make a single misstep, moving exactly where she wanted to with grace and not a trip in sight.

Cairo was impressed.

She had never gotten to see a bard perform like that. It was incredible to see. And it was wonderful to see Riley’s excitement over the performance too. The way the red haired sorcerer’s gaze lit up at the music made Cairo’s heart swell.

The bard’s performance soon ended. She gave a smooth bow before making her way off the stage, grinning widely as she walked. Cairo couldn’t help but notice that the bard’s gaze stuck to one spot in the crowd.

Riley quickly caught Cairo’s attention again. The sorcerer smiled at her best friend. “Let's go find an inn, okay?”

Cairo hummed. That sounded very good. “Yes please.” She said, mumbling a curse as another yawn escaped her lips.

They made their way down the street, Cairo focusing on keeping her eyes open and Riley looking for an inn.

Cairo stumbled as her shoulder suddenly slammed into someone else’s.

She couldn’t help but be irritated. She hadn’t gotten any sleep, she was still on guard, and simply wasn’t in the best of moods.

“Watch it.” Cairo snapped.

The person she ran into glared back at her. Oh gods, it was the bard that performed just minutes ago.

“Hey, what the hell?” The bard said, crossing her arms. “You bumped into me!”

Cairo rose a brow. “Not the way I saw it.”

The bard scowled. “Then I guess someone just came from a bar.”

“Hah! You’ve got to be joking!”

“Well look who didn’t deny it…”

“I’m not drunk, someone just couldn’t stay out of the way!”

“Oh really?!”

The bard looked ready to lunge and Cairo quickly readied herself for a fight.

A fight that never happened.

A body was quickly pushing between them, hands pressed out to keep them both back. “Stop it, the both of you!”

The bard gaped at the newcomer. “Chess—!”

“No, Kate.” The newcomer, Chess, interjected. “I saw what happened. You two simply bumped into each other. There’s no need for a fight.”

Chess turned fully to face Cairo now and the elf jerked back in surprise.

Staring back at her were pupilless, gold eyes.

Her skin was pale, almost the color of a human’s but there was a grey tint to it. Her armor was a bright white with silver outlines. Her shield and blade’s sheath were the same coloring. A deep blue cloth rested around the back of her legs, coming out from under the back of her armor. Her brown hair was pulled into a single braid that rested on her shoulder.

And Cairo couldn’t pull her gaze away from the golden eyes.

“Holy shit your eyes.” She found herself saying, wide eyed. Whether it was shock, her muddled brain, or both that lead to that comment, Cairo wasn’t sure.

A hand slapped her shoulder, courtesy of Riley, who now stood by her side. “Cairo! Don’t say things like that!”

At the same time, Kate did not look happy with Cairo’s comment. “Is there a fucking problem?!”

“Kate!” Chess was quickly stopping her again. Her voice softened as she looked back to the sorcerers. “It’s okay. Not a lot of people have met my race.”

“Sorry…” Cairo hesitantly apologized. “I uh… it just shocked me.”

Chess gave her a forgiving smile. “It’s okay. I hear it a lot…” she paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m an aasimar.”

Riley perked up, recognizing the term. “You’re a blessed!”

Chess laughed, but it almost sounded nervous. “Yeah, that’s right…”

Cairo tapped Riley’s shoulder, giving her a look. Riley seemed to notice the nervousness too and calmed herself. “Well, I think that’s very… cool!” The human said, giving Chess a smile. Cairo snorted at the word choice but nodded her agreement.

Chess actually relaxed at their easy acceptance. Behind her, Kate still looked wary and even a little angry.

“Thank you.” Chess said with a small laugh. She glanced back to Kate and then to Cairo again. “Are you two calm now?”

The bard and sorcerer glared at each other, but neither spoke. Chess and Riley both considered it a success.

“Why don’t I get you a meal as an apology? You two look hungry.” Chess offered, turning to Riley. Clearly, she had noticed the mud and dirt covering them. A small protest came from Kate but she quickly calmed at the look Chess gave her.

Riley and Cairo shared a glance, speaking through their gazes rather than words. Finally, Cairo sighed and Riley beamed.

Riley turned back to Chess, giving her a smile. “That sounds lovely.”

Chess chuckled and turned to lead them down the street. “Right this way then.”

~~||~~||~~

The knight and the bard, the two seemed like a wonderful duo. The two were practically inseparable, Riley could tell. Kate appeared to be quite the troublemaker, but Chess managed to control their temper well enough for them to not cause yet another fight.

After Riley and Chess got the two to stop their little quarrel, the formerly mentioned sorcerer sent the knight an apologetic nod, which was quickly reciprocated by the other.

Kate and Cairo seemed to have calmed down. They were still glaring daggers at each other, with the bard mumbling something under their breath, but at least the situation didn’t escalate to an all-out brawl between the two parties. Even after a night of rest, the two sorcerers were still not in good condition, meaning they absolutely could not handle a fight with just the two of them.

Riley kept her eyes on her companion. Cairo slumped onto a nearby wall, her eyes looking as tired as ever. Still, she had them trained onto the two adventurers in front of them, ready to retaliate if they launched an attack.

They had long finished their meals at Chess and Kate’s tiny house they were renting, Riley thanking Chess for it and quickly getting Cairo to do the same. They had even been able to wash the mud from their exposed skin, but remained in their mud caked robes. And now it seemed both groups sat at a standstill, Chess and Riley ready to intervene again if needed.

“So, you two live in this village?” Riley finally asked, wanting to break the silence.

Chess nodded. “For only a few weeks, but yes. It’s nice here. We’re planning on heading out soon.”

“A few weeks?” Cairo couldn’t stop her curiosity, raising an eyebrow. “Where did you two live before?”

There was a long pause. Both knight and bard’s faces darkened. Chess’s gaze moved down to the table and Kate stared at the sorcerer duo.

“That’s none of your damn business, now is it?” Kate replied, giving Cairo a glare.

Cairo glared back at Kate, body straightening, the tone of voice irritating her still tired mind. But Riley caught her gaze and shook her head, frowning at her.

Cairo caught herself, slumping back against the wall, no retort leaving her lips. She knew it wasn’t fair to ask. Everyone had their own skeletons. And besides, Cairo didn’t think she would want to explain where she had just come from either.

Kate blinked for a moment at Cairo’s movement of backing down before calming herself, leaning back against the wall again, arms still crossed. Chess and Riley both relaxed themselves at the sight.

The group drifted into silence, not entirely sure where to go from there.

“Do you know of a place where we can get new clothes?” Riley eventually asked with a nervous chuckle. “Our current clothes are a little…”

Chess nodded in understanding. “There’s a shop right down the street. We can take you there if you want?”

Kate whipped around to face Chess. “Chess!”

Chess sighed but didn’t seem too bothered, almost as if she was used to this. “Kate.”

They held eye contact for a long moment before Kate finally relented, grumbling as she grabbed her guitar and walked over to the door. “Fine!”

Chess gave Riley a mischievous smile, leaning in closer, as if sharing a big secret. “Kate tries to act all tough, but she’s really a big softy.”

Riley smiled and let out a giggle at the new information. Cairo smirked.

Kate gave Chess a glare. “I can hear you!”

Chess gave her a smirk. “That’s the point!”

The two quickly entered a playful argument as they led Riley and Cairo back outside. They began to walk down the street and Riley moved to follow. She was stopped by Cairo, taking a gentle hold of her arm.

“Cai?” Riley asked, confused by the motion.

“How do we know we can trust them, Riley?” Cairo hissed immediately, giving a quick glance to the knight and bard. Both were waiting for them a little further down the street, talking in their own hushed voices, far more serious than they had been seconds ago.

Riley gave her a tiny glare, but there was no anger fueling it. “Come on, Cai! We don’t know what we’re doing, they do…”

“We can figure it out!” Cairo objected, waving a hand at the duo.

“What if we can’t?! We’ve never been travelers, Cairo! We were never taught how to live outside—!” Riley pointed out, quickly being cut off.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Cairo nearly shouted. She steadily ignored the stares from passing townspeople. Cairo paused, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes before continuing. “Riley, look what happened the last time we trusted someone!”

Riley took Cairo’s hands, meeting her eyes. Cairo stopped in her tracks as Riley carefully spoke.

“Please, Cairo… if you don’t trust them, then at least trust me.”

Cairo held Riley’s gaze for a long moment before her shoulders and expression untensed. “Yeah, okay… I can trust you.”

Riley beamed at her and Cairo quickly continued. “But if anything happens we’re leaving immediately, okay?”

“Of course!” Riley agreed easily, face turning serious for a moment.

“Alright then.” Cairo quickly brought a hand up to Riley’s forehead, more relief being exhaled on her breath upon feeling that the fever was gone.

Riley gently bumped her as they began walking side by side again, moving to join up with Chess and Kate again. “I’m fine, Cai. I feel much better, especially after eating.”

“Just making sure, Ri.” Cairo answered easily as they reached Chess and Kate again.

“What were you two up to?” Kate asked, glancing them over.

Cairo felt her good mood sour. “What? Two friends can’t talk alone now?”

Kate opened her mouth to retort but Chess placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kate reluctantly backed down.

Chess tilted her head towards a building further down the street. A sign with an image of a shirt hung next to it. “It’s right down here.”

The shop was small, but filled with beautiful clothing. From tunics to robes, it had different styles for simple merchants to even the different races. The only thing it seemed to lack was armor, but that was more of a blacksmith’s job.

At their mud covered clothing they received strange stares from the shopkeeper and other customers, but a glare from Cairo quickly had them turning away. (She didn’t notice Kate giving the other people a glare of her own.)

The two searched through the clothes, Chess and Kate simply following behind them. It was Riley who noticed something.

Cairo spun quickly at Riley’s gasp, relaxing quickly upon realizing that it wasn’t one of pain or horror. She rose a brow upon seeing Riley holding up two robes, almost identical. One was white with gold patterns and the other simply had black instead of white.

Riley was grinning eagerly at her. “Cairo we could match!”

Cairo crossed her arms. “I dunno, Ri.”

The redhead frowned at her. “Please Cai? I think you would look great in this one!” Riley said, passing the black and gold robe to the elf.

Cairo looked it over. She did love the color and pattern… but she wasn’t quite so sure if it would be comfortable.

Although… Riley looked so eager, still staring at her hopefully. And Cairo couldn’t say no to her best friend.

“Alright, alright. I’ll try it, but I’m making no promises.”

Riley beamed and Cairo didn’t find herself regretting the agreement. Riley trotted off, leaving both robes with Cairo.

The elf looked to Chess and Kate. “You two saw nothing.” She said before making her way to the shopkeeper's desk, Kate following after her with a muffled snicker.

Chess rolled her eyes at Kate’s tiny laugh, but she couldn’t hide the smile before she moved to follow Riley’s path.

The human was looking in a mirror, surveying herself. She was a mess. Her hair was tousled and everywhere, her clothes covered in dry, crusted mud. Some of it was still on her arms too.

She had walked back to see if there was anything else herself or Cairo would be interested in. Only to spot herself in the mirror.

Riley pushed the hair that got in her vision back behind her ears. It was still long and she didn’t have any hair ties with her.

“Your hair is getting in your face.”

Riley jumped and spun at the new voice. Chess was standing beside her now, the Aasimar chuckling at the human’s jump.

“What?” Riley asked, shaking off her minor fright.

Chess gestures to her face. “Your hair. It’s getting in your face.” Before Riley could make a response Chess was grabbing something from a table next to her and stepping behind Riley. “Hold still for just a second.”

Riley couldn’t help but tense. She didn’t entirely trust Chess yet. But she stood still, feeling Chess pull her hair back.

Once done, Chess stepped back in front of her, looking proud of herself. She gestured to a mirror. “There you go.”

Riley turned and paused for a second. An orange ribbon was tied into her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. She quickly beamed and turned back to Chess. “I love it!”

Chess laughed at the sorcerer’s happiness. “Then consider it a gift.”

Riley’s smile wavered. “Chess, you’ve already helped me and Cairo so much in only a few hours.” She began to reach up to pull the ribbon out.

Chess simply took Riley’s hands, shaking her head. “A ribbon is the least I can do. I’m serious.”

“But Chess—“

“I like to look out for people. It’s what I was born to do. I protect and I help. And you and Cairo needed a bit of help, that’s all.” Chess explained calmly. “Keep the ribbon, I'll pay for it. I want to.”

Riley still looked unsure but relented. “Alright… only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.” Chess appeased. She turned, tugging at Riley’s hand. “Come on, Kate and Cairo are waiting and I don’t think we want to leave those two alone for very long.”

Riley couldn’t hold back her laughter at that.

Sure enough, Cairo and Kate stood waiting, robes on the counter. The two weren’t talking, stubbornly looking away from each other.

Upon seeing them approaching, Cairo stepped up to pay for the two robes. She froze upon realizing that there was a problem.

Her and Riley didn’t have any money.

Cairo cursed under her breath and almost frantically searched through the bag she had smuggled along during their run, filled with necessities like food. Not a single coin in sight.

The shopkeeper frowned at her, opening his mouth to speak.

Only for a small bag of coins to be placed on the counter. Cairo spun to see Kate next to her, staring at the shopkeeper instead of her.

“That should be enough to cover it.” Kate told the shopkeeper. The man counted through the coins and nodded happily.

“What are you—?” Cairo began to ask, a confused glare on her face.

“Don’t.” Kate cut her off, finally looking at her. “Just know that you owe me one.”

Cairo stared at her for a long moment before nodding. She didn’t like owing people… but she supposed there wasn’t another choice. She didn’t like Kate, but she was willing to pay for the clothes. Cairo wouldn’t fight that.

The two sorcerers were quickly given their new robes and led to the backroom to change.

Being honest, it was far more comfier than Cairo had thought it would be. The fabric was soft and it was the perfect fit. Cairo actually found herself loving it.

She walked out in the black and gold pattern, Riley beaming upon seeing her, quickly moving to her side in her own white and gold pattern, beginning to gush about the outfits.

Chess was smiling as she watched them and even Kate seemed amused by the antics. The two stayed inside a moment so Chess could quickly pay for the ribbon.

As the elf and human stepped outside the shop to the bustling street, Cairo pulled something from her back, placing it in Riley’s hands.

It was one of the two staffs.

Riley blinked at the sudden weight in her hands. Cairo chuckled at her expression. “Every good sorcerer needs their staff, don’t they? And besides, you’re feeling better.”

Riley smiled at her and quickly placed the staff on her back.

“So? What do you two plan on doing next?” Kate asked, her and Chess reaching them.

Cairo and Riley shared a glance. They hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead… their only real plan had been to reach this village. And well… it was still too close to… there… for their liking.

Chess took note of their indecision. “How about you spend the night with us too.” Three faces stared at her, one frowning and the other two confused. Riley opened her mouth to reply. “It’s no problem, really.” She shot a small glance at Kate, who simply sighed at this point, keeping a close eye on the sorcerer's. “You can sleep for the night and figure it out in the morning. You both look tired.” Her gaze lingered in Cairo far longer than it did Riley at that last line.

Riley looked at Cairo, who simply shrugged. With that, Riley looked back to Chess and Kate. “That would be lovely. We seriously can’t thank you enough.”

Chess nodded. “It’s no trouble, really. Like I said, it’s my job to help people.”

Kate crossed her arms. “Look, I’m fine with you two staying. But try anything and I won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”

Cairo returned her glare. “Likewise.”

Everything finally settled down…..or that’s what the group would’ve liked to think.

Chess suddenly placed a hand on the bard beside them, who was still standing cross armed and irritated.

The action got Kate’s attention, who realised their partner was giving them a warning. A heads up for what they were staring at.

In the distance, a band of cloaked individuals began marching into the town.

Those weren’t just any group of random people.

Riley saw the two fixing a stare towards the town’s entrance, and proceeded to do the same.

Her heart dropped in an instant, her eyes widened and she grew pale at the sight of those people. As soon as she spotted the gang of people, she felt as if all air had left her lungs. She stood stunned at the sight, she felt helpless all over again.

It was them. The people who were chasing them. The people who….

The people who hurt her.

The people who hurt her and Cairo.

Riley couldn’t register anything else. Her vision blurred, and only the silhouettes of the objects nearby were in sight.

No, not now.

Please.

They’ve gone so far, they can’t go back now.

A gust of wind formed around the sorcerer, a surge of power came out of nowhere, and it surrounded Riley. As she grew to be more panicked by the sight, the stronger the wind around her became. A small orb soon swirled around her, and with tears flowing down her face, she aimed her palm at the group.

Her still trembling arm, her arm that’s trying to tame the spell subconsciously casted around her.

“What the—” Kate turned to the wind’s source, gripping her guitar close as a safety precaution.

“Riley!” Cairo yelled from behind, the sorcerer began to rush towards her friend, but the pressure of the wind continued to push her back further and further.

She watched as Riley’s panicked expression morph into anger. Into rage towards the group chasing them.

Cairo wanted to fight them just as much as Riley did, but she knew they won’t stand a chance. Without getting aid, without getting any form of assistance, their chances of winning are slim.

She witnessed Riley launch the attack. A large wave of wind pushing away and destroying everything in its way.

The group were dazed from the attack and are still just trying to regain their balance.

They’re now alerted of their presence, it’s too late for them to run now.

A flame sparked around Cairo’s arms, it’s now or never.

The two sorcerers got into a fighting stance, ready to defend themselves from their pursuers.

Just as the two were about to dash towards them, a melody began playing. The sound flew around them, making both of them feel a boost of energy just with the simple strums of a guitar.

Cairo whipped her head to the direction of the music. 

There Kate stood, holding the guitar with a sly smirk which Cairo couldn’t help but scoff at. Chess drew out her sword, then crouched down to prepare for the battle that’s about to commence.

“You thought we were going to leave this to just you two? I’ve been itching for a fight, like hell am I gonna step out of this one!” Kate gave them a short explanation, which Chess proceeded to add onto. “It’s my duty to help when others are in trouble, and I have to make sure this idiot doesn’t get injured.”

The bard was about to reply to their friend’s comment, but the group of pursuers were all beginning to recover from the first attack they’ve received. The four of them had to start their assault now.

Riley and Cairo had their next spell ready, Chess gripped onto her weapon, with all her attention focused onto the enemy. Kate jumped onto a nearby cart, ready to provide an extra boost to their newly established team.

The townsfolk all began to evacuate the premises, and just as it was just the two groups left in the area, Cairo gave her best friend one last reassuring nod.

The melody continued, and the fight officially began.

The two sorcerers held out their arms, and began blasting an array of wind and fire towards the enemy. Their spells soon merged while on their path, the beams swirled together and the fire grew to be more powerful as the wind shot it right onto the group. The beam came into contact with one of the pursuers, and just as if it was a firework, it exploded on impact, pushing the enemy even farther away.

The enemy didn’t waste any more time, and the ones who were least affected by the blast began charging to the four, weapons in hand.

Seeing as the enemy began to run towards them, Chess rushed to the front with a determined glare. With the help of the sorcerers pushing away some of the incoming attackers, Chess took on the rest of the enemy.

A block, a parry. The pattern repeated as Chess scanned each of their attacks, patiently waiting for her chance to strike. As she directed the weapon away from the enemy, leaving a gap between them, she kicked the centre of their torso, knocking them straight onto the ground.

A scorching circle of fire surrounded a group of the enemy, and they were then blocked off from the fight. The temperature around them increased at a rapid rate, courtesy of Cairo’s spells.

Riley eventually ran into the front, pressurising the air around her hand for a mighty blow against the enemy and forming a barrier protecting her fellow party mates.

The numbers of their opponents dwindled, and the fight seemed to be in their favour as a few of the group remained.

Things went smoothly for the most part, that’s what it looked like to Cairo at least. 

To Riley? Something felt off.

She wasn’t usually capable of such powerful spells.

The wind she emitted grew out of control almost every time she summoned it, and it might’ve damaged her as well if she held onto it for any longer.

With each spell, the pain she felt worsened.

She wasn’t sure what caused all of this. She had control of her powers just fine a few days ago.

But now isn’t the time to worry about herself.

She had to first deal with their pursuers.

The sounds of clanking metal and spells were gradually replaced with the familiar melody the fight began with. Only a few remained, only a few left before they could rest.

Casting the last round of her spells, Cairo trapped what she thought were the last bunch of the group. What she didn’t know was that there was one more behind her, about to slam a mace over her head.

“Watch out!” Chess warned the sorcerer, struggling to get to her positive in time.

Cairo whirled around, and faced the person behind her.

Before she could even conjure up a spell, the last of their enemies was struck in the head with a guitar. The melody that once filled the field was replaced with the noise of a wooden instrument bashed onto flesh.

Kate lifted her trusty instrument up, then examined the blood splattered onto it with a sigh.

“This is going to be hard to clean up…” She placed a finger onto the red liquid, lightly swiping a bit of it off with their bare hands.

“Guitars aren’t that great to smash someone’s head in, yeah?” Cairo peered down onto the pool of blood.

“Oh shut up! I just saved your life!”

“By beating someone up with a guitar?”

“You make it sound like it’s not supposed to be used that way.”

Silence followed after the bard’s remark.

~~||~~||~~

“We’re safe for now, no one should look for us here.” Chess returned to the three with a torch in hand.

After the battle in the middle of town, the four scurried away under Kate’s lead, and now find themselves in the outskirts of town, where none of the townsfolk frequent.

“I see that you’re quite familiar with this town?” Cairo asked the bard, who was currently more concerned with the blood stained on their guitar. She began scrubbing the wooden surface with a cloth, putting all her effort into wiping it clean.

“We’ve spent some time here.” Chess answered for their companion.

“Enough time to learn all about the secret spots.” Kate added to the reply.

“Which is pretty helpful for situations like these.” 

The four wrecked most of the area they were fighting in, decorating the centre of the town with scorch marks, blood and broken structures. No wonder why the guards of the town are searching for them now.

“Maybe some water will help?” Riley pointed at the blood stain. She examined the instrument from afar, but still noticed the several dents and scratch marks on it.

“Well, not like I can find water here.” Kate sighed, shoving the cloth back into their pocket. She carefully placed the guitar beside a wall, then began another conversation. “What’s the deal with those guys? You trashed another town before us?”

Riley looked over to Cairo, who seemed just as reluctant to answer the question as the former.

Chess caught onto the two’s exchange, and decided to change the subject before Kate could push on.

“Where are you heading next? We can’t stay in this town for long.”

“Is there another town nearby? We just need a place to stay for a while.” Cairo inquired.

“There is. We were just about to go there, maybe you two could come with us?” Chess offered with an eager smile, but the sorcerers appeared hesitant to accept it right away.

Not only that, but the bard didn’t seem to be happy with the decision. She shoots a skeptic look over to the knight, then gestures to the land near where they were standing, asking to speak with them in private.

She walks over to the bard, and they excuse themselves off for a bit.

Cairo returned to keeping an eye on her friend.

Riley was exhausted. She was confused, scared and had no idea what just happened.

The sudden burst of power in her spells aren’t just Kate’s doing, but she’s forcing herself to think that way anyways.

There’s something wrong with her magic, she can’t control it, she just feels it growing even more after….after she ran away with Cairo.

She’s lost. 

Cairo picked up the signs and figured out that her best friend was out of it, but she doesn’t know exactly what was bothering her. It could just be that she’s tired, but there’s more to this. There has to be.

“Riley?” Cairo began. “How are you feeling?”

The redhead couldn’t find the right words to describe it, she just kept on rubbing her wrists in an attempt to ground herself.

She looks away, glancing off to the floor instead.

“I know a lot has happened…” Cairo sat down next to her, trailing off for a bit before coming up with what to say. “I understand how you feel, really. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here.”

Cairo told Riley, who finally turned to face the other sorcerer.

“Just a little longer, we are going to be fine.”

The two share a moment of silence. Just them and the peace and quiet of the night.

As for the knight and the bard, Cairo could barely see the two chatting. Chess was doing her best to persuade the bard, who had to spend a few minutes to decide if she allowed it.

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose. She gave into Chess’s reasoning, and let out another sigh as she agreed.

The light of the torch crept slowly over to the two sorcerers, along with the sound of Kate and Chess trudging back to their side.

“Let’s start at dawn, we’ll find a place to stay in for the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cairo: Elf sorcerer  
> Riley: Human sorcerer  
> Chess: Aasimar knight  
> Kate: Half-elf bard  
> Mattie: ?????  
> Reese: ?????  
> Annleigh: ?????  
> Clark: ?????  
> Farrah: ?????  
> Eva: ?????
> 
> Don’t let the tags fool you, I am in fact very excited to do this story, I’m just more in shock that I found myself in another DND AU after writing one for Six so recently, haha! But I really do hope everyone enjoys it, I had another story I planed to be my entrance to this fandom but hey, I’ll gladly take this one! - Wolf
> 
> Look at how far we’ve spiralled from another idea ;-; Anyways, thank you for reading our WATT DND AU! We have a lot planned and I hope we’ll be able to get everything we want in this one! I’m really looking forward to working with Wolf, hope you enjoy the rest of the story! - Ender (CsjLam)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: blood, fighting/violence

A hand placed itself onto the strings of a guitar, and with a soft strum, a melody replaced the dreadful silence of the night.

Kate sat near the campfire to illuminate the guitar, the bloodstains were still fairly visible, but it’s gotten a bit better than before. The bard kept on trying to clean the stain, but after a few more rigorous rounds of scrubbing, the stain still remained, much to the bard’s distaste.

While they were still sulking about the stain, someone extended a wet towel to the bard, causing them to turn to the source’s direction.

“Try wiping it again.” Chess offered the towel to Kate, who accepted without second thought. She took off the cloak she had been wearing before she began, placing it next to her tent.

Right after the bard discarded the article of clothing, they whipped around to find the two sorcerers….trying their best with pitching up their own tent.

She watched as the two set up the piece of cloth, only to have everything crumble down in an instant, which she couldn’t help to snicker at.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know how to pitch a tent.”

Cairo grumbled out after Kate called them out on their current problem. She wasn’t one to just ask for help from anyone after all. She didn’t want someone else to pity her, or to think she can’t do anything by herself. Most importantly, she didn’t want to owe anyone else.

“So what if I don’t?” She hissed out at the bard, who glared right back at her.

Chess, who was watching the two’s exchange, decided to step in before the two got heated up again. They really don’t need another fight today, especially not between themselves.

“Alright, alright. No need to get defensive, I’m sure Kate was just trying to help.” She stepped over to the sorcerers.

“I was not—” Kate tried to correct Chess’s statement, but she instantly got cut off by the knight.

“I could teach you two how to pitch it if you’d like? I’m sure it’ll be useful later.” Chess asked the two, giving them a reassuring smile as she suggested it.

“We—” Cairo tried to reject the offer, but before she could do that, Riley hopped up from her spot and interrupted the other sorcerer’s refusal. “That would be great! Thank you so much!”

Cairo sent her friend a look, then turned back to find Kate smirking at the sorcerer being ignored. She gritted her teeth and sucked in some air, admitting her defeat and accepting the knight’s offer as well.

The two sorcerers huddled over to the knight, who started to demonstrate how to correctly pitch up a tent. While the three were off doing that, the bard sat off to the side, hard at work to get the bloodstains off of her beloved guitar.

The wet towel seemed to do the trick, as it soaked up the blood after a few scrubs. Kate was ecstatic, since the guitar could finally return to its original state. She wielded it around under the moonlight to admire the instrument once again, and her lips formed a smile at the clean guitar.

The bard began humming a song, with the sound of the guitar accompanying her. The occasion deserves a celebration, and she couldn’t think of any other way to congratulate herself other than to do what she does best, perform.

The tune was a tranquil and soothing one, a tune that could put someone to sleep if they were tired enough.

It was just the bard, their treasured instrument and their peaceful tune that filled the area.

Still, Kate couldn’t resist giving the other three a few quick glances during her song.

Chess and Riley were laughing together while Cairo was struggling to handle the piece of cloth.

It seemed fun, the bard thought to themselves.

The sudden intrusion of the two sorcerers wasn’t what she expected for today, but life’s just full of surprises, right? That’s the thrill of it, you never know what’s about to happen. You just get thrown into different scenarios, and you try your best to survive through it. That’s how the bard liked to think. It was basically their way of life.

No matter what happens though, the bard wished to have their friend’s company through it.

As long as Chess was there, she’s fine with whatever they encounter.

The bard just didn’t want to be alone.

Out of everyone in her life, the knight stuck by her the longest. The two grew up together, and you’d never find one without the other after they became friends.

Well, that was the case until….

Kate didn’t even realise she had stopped playing the song.

The thought of their childhood came back into her mind, and she stopped everything she was doing.

She rubbed her eyes, hoping it’ll help her freshen up.

She did not need to think about that ever again.

Especially not now.

Everything is okay now. Chess is by her side. Absolutely nothing is going wrong.

Her fingers tapped onto the wooden surface of the guitar. 

She’d rather not grimace about that particular part of memory.

The bard forced themselves to stand. Maybe a walk will clear their mind. She just didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts anymore. Not when the only thing she can think about is….that.

“Well done, Cai!” Riley congratulated her companion after they successfully set up the tent. 

All it took were a few retries, that’s all.

A feeling of satisfaction swelled up in Cairo’s heart. The sorcerer wasn’t used to living in the wilderness, so she considered it a great achievement.

Cairo looked over to Riley, who was beaming at their friend.

The two weren’t too experienced with the outside. Since they were young, they’ve spent most of their time learning and training to one day become a good sorcerer. If they weren’t studying or brushing up on their spells, then they were chatting with each other, so the tent was somewhat of a difficult task for the two.

“I think you can both set up a tent on your own now?” Chess inquired, to which Riley gave an exuberant nod.

“Oh, not you again!”

A voice the three all knew well yelled out, causing them to bolt up in an instant.

What they found was quite strange to the two sorcerers.

Kate stood in front of her tent, and was staring down at her cloak. Inside the hood of the cloak laid a creature.

Not just any creature. Judging by Kate and Chess’s reactions to the animal, they must know it.

Inside the hood of the cloak, there was a ferret curled up and resting.

“Um…” Riley gave both the bard and the ferret a curious glance.

Kate crouched down onto the ground, moving closer to the cloak. She eventually places a hand down onto the animal, petting it lightly.

Riley tilted her head at the sight. Just as Chess said, the bard kept a tough exterior, but in the end, she’s a softy.

“This guy has been sleeping in my hood ever since we moved to this town.” Kate used her free hand to scratch the back of her head.

“They’re a persistent one, I’ll tell you that. In fact, they’re just like Kate!” Chess pointed out, which was not a comparison the bard liked much.

Of course, Cairo had to laugh at that sentence.

“Oh shut up! It’s not that funny!” Kate told the sorcerer, but that only managed to make them chuckle even more.

“So, is Kate Jr staying the night as usual?” Chess leaned down to observe the ferret.

“We are not naming it that!” 

“I personally think it’s the perfect name for that ferret.”

“Shut up before I kick your ass, Cairo!”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“You—” Kate was about to get back up on her feet, but with a firm grip on her shoulder, Chess held Kate back to her current position.

The bard let out a sigh. It’s a miracle the two haven’t gotten into an actual fight yet with the frequency of arguments they had in a single day.

“Now then, let’s have a quick meal then get some sleep. We have to move at dawn, remember?” The knight reminded all of them, and the four proceeded to move over to the campfire.

Another thing about the two sorcerers was that they were not used to cooking for themselves.

“How did you manage to burn that?!”

“It’s not my fault the fire charred it!”

Just as the sorcerer and the bard began another squabble, Chess finally settled down beside the campfire. With the voices of Kate and Cairo having their next dispute in the background, the knight thought to themselves….

It was going to be a long night with these three.

~~||~~||~~

The next morning the group awoke at dawn. Camp was packed up and they continued down the forest path. They didn’t know how close more enemies could be. It was best to head straight for the next town.

The leaves and branches shaded the area, making it look darker even with the sun up in the sky. Animals roamed the bushes and tops of the trees. The four couldn’t help but be wary in this atmosphere.

But at the same time… Riley liked it. It was a mysterious atmosphere, one fitting of an adventure.

The red haired sorcerer stuck back with Chess. Cairo and Kate were a few steps ahead, arguing about something.

“You really think I trust you to lead us through here?” Cairo glared at the bard.

Kate glared right back. “The path is straight! How would we get lost?!”

“It’s dark and the path is faded! And besides, it’s you!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means you’ll probably end up leading us in circles!”

“Why you—!”

Chess sighed, moving to play mediator. “Why don’t we leave a mark? If we do get lost or go in a circle then we’ll know that we were here.”

Cairo and Kate both calmed and slowly backed down at the idea. So Chess took out the small dagger she kept on herself and moved to slash a mark into the tree.

But before the dagger could make contact, the group heard a noise. Chess jumped back, dropping the dagger.

Planted in the tree, far too close for comfort, was an arrow.

“Oh shit.” Kate got out, wide eyed and holding her guitar close.

No one had a chance to react further. Another arrow landed next to Riley’s foot, making the sorcerer yelp. And then, a shape lunged from the trees with a roar.

The four scattered out of the way, yelling out. Everyone froze upon seeing what had just attacked them. Kate Jr squeaked, hiding behind Kate’s head.

A female lion stared back at the group, teeth bared and crouched low to the ground.

Cairo gaped but found her voice. “Uh, that’s a fucking Lion…”

Kate snapped back at her. “Yeah, I think we noticed!”

Chess was quickly turning, pulling a stunned Riley along. “Move!”

The lion lunged again, swatting at Kate, who ducked away from the large paw before swiftly catching up to the group. The four moved at a sprint, vaulting over bushes and moving around trees.

The lion kept up its chase, staying far too close for the group’s liking. Arrows joined the chase, hitting trees and grass around them.

“Lions don’t usually live in forests, right?!” Riley asked about the roaring and wind rushing past them. She remembered reading about the animals once and from what she remembered, lions were not forest animals.

“Yeah, and people don’t usually shoot arrows out of nowhere!” Kate snapped back. The chase continued for several minutes.

And then… the roaring and panting faded.

“Did we lose it?” Riley asked, winded. The group slowly slightly but didn’t stop running.

It was immediately after Riley asked the question that another, bulkier shape came from the side with a roar, the noise different from the lion’s.

“A FUCKING BEAR?!” Kate yelled and Chess swerved, pulling both her and Riley away from the animal.

Sure enough, a large brown bear had taken the lion’s place in the chase, lunging after them.

“Just keep running!” Cairo yelled, not looking back. That was all they could do, Chess looking frantically for a safe place.

Riley glanced back, Chess still holding tightly to her hand. Her eyes widened. “Guys! There’s a new problem!”

The bear was suddenly gone, but in its place was now a tiger.

“Where are all of these animals coming from?!” Chess questioned, mind running wild with adrenaline and trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Kate finally let out a frustrated yell, stopping in her tracks and spinning to face the tiger. “That’s it!” The bard yelled, moving to play a note.

“Kate!” Chess yelled, also spinning. Her eyes lit up with fear.

The tiger was too close. There was no way Kate could play a spell in time. A body slammed into Kate from the side, sending her out of the tiger’s path.

The next thing the group processed was Cairo on the floor where Kate had stood. The tiger was above her, tail lashing and letting loose a roar right in Cairo’s face.

Riley froze at the scene. And then, she felt that same feeling she had felt back in the town upon seeing the guards well in her chest. Fear…

And anger.

The surge of magic welled up just as it had before. Riley pulled herself away from Chess as the magic began to swell. She felt like she was on fire.

And then, the magic was released.

The tiger was flung back from Cairo with a startled roar. It flailed wildly for a moment before leaping back into the bushes in a frantic lunge.

The air and wind still whirled around Riley’s hands. She stared at them, shaking.

What was happening? What was all of this new power?

Why… why was it hurting her?

“Riley?”

Riley jolted, looking up to see Cairo now in front of her, looking worried. “Cai?”

“That’s right. I’m safe, you’re safe… we’re okay now.” Cairo began to reassure.

She continued to say similar words as the magic slowly dimmed away. But Riley still felt that flicker of pain and now she felt tired. But Riley still stood steady, adrenaline in her veins. (Cairo wasn’t going to say a word to Riley, but the human’s fever was back.)

“Okay, what the hell just happened?” Kate asked, still catching her breath. “Why were we attacked like that?! And by animals?!”

Chess had joined the sorcerer duo now, looking over the both of them with her golden eyes. “Are you two alright?”

“Yeah...” Cairo watched Riley closely for another moment before looking back to the forest around them. “The tiger, it wasn’t going to kill me.” Cairo said, having noticed the patterns. “It was trying to scare me.”

Chess nodded, plucking an arrow from the tree next to them. “And the arrows weren’t aimed to kill. They were all aimed close, yes, but not meant to hit.”

Riley and Kate’s eyes both widen with realization. “They don’t want us dead…” the former said.

“They want us to leave.” Kate finished.

Chess glanced around at the underbrush surrounding them. The other three fell silent. All they could hear was a faint shuffling and the wind blowing through the leaves.

“Hello?” The knight called. “Can you come out? We don’t want to fight you…”

Silence was her answer.

Riley added her own piece. “I’m sorry about using my magic! I was just… scared…”

“What are you doing in this forest?!” A high-pitched voice called back to them from the trees. None of them could see its source.

“We’re just trying to reach the next village…” Chess explained calmly.

There was a long pause before the voice spoke again. “And how can I trust your word?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have any proof other than our word.” Chess replied. There was a muffled conversation that none of the group could make out.

Kate stepped forward slightly. “Why the hell did you attack us like that?!”

“Well we…” The voice stammered slightly before becoming steady again. “You… aren’t bandits?”

“No, we aren’t.” Chess agreed. “We’re just travelers passing through.”

“Then… why did you attack the tree?!”

Chess paused, realizing what had happened. “There weren’t any bad intentions, I swear it. I was just going to leave a mark in case we got lost. I’m sorry…”

“I… Oh… apology accepted?”

There was another stretch of silence and Cairo spoke up. “Hey, I’d rather see the people I’m talking to! Especially if they just attacked me!”

The muffled conversation occurred again. And then, there was silence.

Slowly, a figure crept out from the underbrush.

It was a satyr.

Small, curved horns rest on her head, adorned with flowers of many different bright colors. Her black hair was pulled into a long ponytail that rested on her shoulder. Her legs were covered in brown and black fur and shaped like an animal’s, only enhanced by the hooves in place of where her feet would be. Her ears were pointed, almost like an elf’s and she had a small tail, like a deer’s. A white tunic with pink lacing covered her upper half along with a pink sash and brown belts. A long, pink skirt-like cloth covered down to where her knees would be. A bow and a quiver of arrows rested on her back.

She stared at them nervously, wringing her hands together. She tried to smile. “Uhm… hello!”

Chess smiled back, not approaching the girl. “Hello there, I’m Chess…” She returned the greeting before gesturing to her companions. “This is Riley, Cairo, and Kate.”

Kate and Cairo both nearly said something about being able to introduce themselves, but held their tongues as Riley waved to the satyr.

The satyr perked up a little at their introduction, tail wagging slightly. “I’m Mattie!”

Then another figure joined Mattie’s side. It was the tiger.

But the tiger’s form shifted and changed, moving onto its back legs and becoming much more human-like. Until eventually, it actually was a human now, only with the added features of a wild animal.

It was a shifter.

She had the eyes of a tiger, bright yellow. She smiled at the group nervously, showing her fangs. Bits of orange and black fur trailed down her arms. A tiger’s tail waved back and forth behind her. Her brown hair was pulled up into two buns that rested on the top of her head. She was of a heavier build than the others and wore brown and black clothing, a cloak edged with fur reaching down to her knees.

Mattie giggled. “And this is Reese!”

Reese beamed at them. “Hello!” But her smile faded for a worried frown. “So… you… aren’t the bandits?”

“Not at all!” Riley said quickly. “We’re just trying to reach the next town…”

Mattie and Reese both shared a quick, nervous glance. Then both began to speak at the same time. Their voices mingled together, quickly becoming unintelligible. But it was clear the two were trying to apologize.

“Woah, hey!” Cairo finally snapped. “One at a time!”

Riley gave her a glare. “Cairo!” She looked back to the satyr and shifter with a smile. “It’s okay! After all, you weren’t… well, trying to kill us!”

“So wait, why were you trying to scare us out in the first place?” Kate asked the two.

Mattie and Reese glanced at each other before looking back at the group.

“It’s just…”

“We’ve had a bit of a bandit problem.”

“They show up, hurt the forest—!”

“Before vanishing again!”

“So we thought that if we could chase them off…”

“Then the problem would be solved!”

Chess nodded to herself, understanding in her eyes. “I see… so you two were protecting your home…”

Satyr and shifter both nodded, still looking nervous and sheepish. Whatever remaining anger and irritation Kate and Cairo held disappeared at the sight.

“So… you attacked us because we attacked the tree?” Riley asked the duo. “And you thought we were bandits?”

She was met with nods and mumbled apologies. There was a small silence as Cairo glanced back to the dark woods around them. “Well, we’ve lost the path…”

Mattie laughed nervously at that realization. “Well uhm… we don’t really have much we can give you as an apology… we can show you back to the path though.”

Chess quickly interjected. “You don’t have to—!”

But Reese gasped, cutting her off, she tugged at Mattie’s sleeve excitedly. “Mattie, we can show them the field!”

Mattie let out a small gasp, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Ooh, Reese you’re right!”

“Field?”

“Come on, come on! It’s beautiful!”

And with that the four found themselves swept along. They trailed after Reese and Mattie, Cairo keeping a close eye on Riley. Chess and Kate were talking in hushed voices, by what she heard Cairo figured it was about Kate’s decision to try and fight Reese. But soon, they drifted into quiet.

As they walked, the group began to talk. The group of four still wary of their newfound companions.

“So, you’re a shifter…” Kate looked at Reese, an interested look on her face. “I thought shifters were only half animals. Yet you were able to change completely into an animal. And more than one?”

Reese puffed up, looking proud of herself. “That’s usually how it goes, but my magic lets me shapeshift fully!”

Cairo quickly spoke up. “So wait a second. You two just… live out here in the forest?”

Mattie hummed. “Yeah! This is home…”

Reese perked up upon spotting something. “Oh! Speaking of home!”

The satyr and shifted bounded ahead slightly to a small gathering of bushes. Mattie and Reese pushed the bushes aside, grinning at the group, and the group of four gaped at the scenery.

The clearing was beautiful.

It was a scene of rolling green hills, one giant tree on top of the largest hill. Flowers covered the area, giving it a gorgeous color.

“What… is this place?” Riley asked, still staring in awe.

Reese beamed at her. “This is our home! Isn’t it beautiful?”

There were words of agreement as the group made their way down the hill towards the flowers. Mattie ran ahead, laughing and giggling happily as she reached the flowers, gently pulling one and placing it among the other flowers decorating her horns.

“How has no one found this place?!” Kate asked. Kate Jr had popped out from her hood, tittering as they looked around the clearing.

Reese nodded, thinking for a moment. “Well, some do, but it’s usually curious children or someone just looking for a nice spot for a picnic. No one bad has ever found this place since we’ve been here though!”

Mattie was back at their side now, gently tugging Riley by the sleeve. “Why don’t you come sit down? You look tired… oh, I can make you a flower crown!”

Cairo trailed after them and soon enough the entire group was sitting among the flowers. Peace washed over the group as the sun beamed down on them.

Kate laid on her back, eyes closed. Chess was talking to Reese. Riley was half asleep as Mattie weaved together a flower crown, placing it delicately on the sorcerer’s head, earning the satyr a smile. Cairo was staring out at the tree line, but even she looked more relaxed.

It turns out, peaceful moments don’t last forever.

The loud hoot of laughter caught the six’s attention and they quickly looked up. On the other side of the field were bandits. Some were on horses, others were walking, but all of them held weapons.

The six were on their feet immediately, weapons and spells at the ready. Kate Jr burrowed back into Kate’s hood.

“I’m going to take a guess and say we found your bandits.” Cairo muttered, eyes narrowed. 

“That’s them alright…” Reese replied before her form changed and shifted, quickly becoming a growling tiger.

The bandits had spotted them and were quickly crossing the clearing. The party quickly formed a circle facing outwards, keeping back to back. The bandits were still laughing and snickering as they surrounded them.

A man wearing stolen jewelry and atop a large horse smirked pridefully at them. “Hello ladies.”

“Let me guess!” Kate quickly spoke up, looking unimpressed. “Hand over all of our valuables and come along quietly, yeah?”

The leader huffed out a laugh, raising a brow. “A smart one, eh?” He took out his sword. “Well you’re right. Hand them over.” He glanced around the clearing. “And this will be the perfect spot for a camp, yeah boys?”

There was a cheer of agreement and laughter from the assembled bandits. Mattie and Reese both tensed at that last line.

“And if we decline?” Chess asked, tightening the hold on her sword.

“Then we’ll make you.” The bandit leader said simply. There was a stretch of silence before the leader pulled his horse back with an excited shout. “Let’s have some fun, boys!”

There was a roar of cheering and things quickly descended into chaos.

Dust and dirt was kicked up by the running horses. Kate quickly began playing the guitar, the magic-infused melody giving the other five an attack boost. Chess rose her shield, leaping in front of Mattie as a spear jabbed out from the dust.

The group was forced to separate, having to dodge the weapons and attacks that were launched at them.

Kate kept up the song, even as she lost sight of the others and could only see bandits and their horses. She grit her teeth in frustration, stopping for a moment to slam her guitar into the jaw of a bandit that decided to get too close.

Cairo let fire gather around her staff, launching it after bandit after bandit. She winced as the earth and flowers were scorched along with them. The staff was knocked out of her hands and Cairo let her fire swirl around her arms instead.

Chess stood her ground, letting the bandits attack first. With so many bandits, a defensive play was better suited. But when given the calculated chance, her sword or armored foot would lash out, catching a bandit and sending them down.

Reese lashed out as a tiger, breaking spears and sending the bandits off their horses. She could hurt the horses, but Reese wasn’t going to hurt an animal like that. So instead she focused on the bandits, sending them sprawling to the ground.

Riley managed to stick with Cairo. The sorcerer was still exhausted from the earlier burst. But eventually, she was forced away from Cairo, struggling to use spells to keep the bandits away. She was stuck.

Mattie weaved between the bandits and horses, dodging and ducking as she made her way to a hill. She needed to get higher, pick off enemies with arrows. The group was trapped and she needed to help them get back together.

She soon made it and readied her bow. With precise aim she hit a bandit in the shoulder as he raced past Kate, knocking the man off his steed.

She notched another arrow, taking a deep breath as she aimed for another bandit’s leg. She didn’t notice the figure right behind her.

Mattie jumped and whirled from her aiming position upon hearing a pained yell behind her.

A bandit was face down on the ground. Above them stood a figure, brown eyes staring back at Mattie.

It was a tiefling.

Her skin was an orange color, matched by the orange horns curving back over the top of her head. Her hair was brown and in twin braids and her eyes were a human-like brown. Claws were where nails would be and she had fangs. An orange tail waved back and forth almost lazily. A pink scarf rested on her neck, fluttering in the wind. A black and white striped flask rested on her waist, Mattie’s sensitive nose could smell the alcohol. Her clothing was black, red, and tan, styled like a monk’s clothing with bandages wrapped around her hands and knuckles, leaving her claws free.

The tiefling frowned, poking at the bandit with her foot. “Fucking moron, attacking a kid…”

Mattie squawked. “I’m not a kid!” The satyr said indignantly.

The tiefling simply blinked at her, stepping past the bandit and to her side. “Sure, kid. Now stay here.”

And with that, the tiefling was off, bounding down the hill towards the fighting. Mattie could only gape after her for a moment.

“Farrah!”

Mattie spun back to the treeline again. Two more figures had appeared, reaching Mattie in seconds.

The first one was human. Long brown hair pulled up into a ponytail trailed down her back. A silver rapier rested on her thigh, ready to be used. Pink and white robes were what she wore, a dark pink cloak fluttering behind her as she ran. A golden necklace with the symbol of her patron god recognized her as a cleric. Medical supplies rested right next to her weapon. She was the one who had yelled.

Following after her was a male Tabaxi, who could run ahead but wanted to stay by her side. He had a leopard’s face and body, only standing upright like a human would. He was a cleric too, a necklace identical to the one the human wore resting on his chest. His robes were a forest green and light brown, bandages were wrapped around his feet, which were paws, to protect them rather than shoes. He had medical supplies too but no weapon.

The human’s gaze lit up with fear upon spotting the tiefling leaping into the fray, recognizing the pink scarf. “Farrah!” She called again before rushing after her.

That left Satyr and Tabaxi blinking at each other, the latter’s ears twitching. The Tabaxi joined her side a second later, looking over the fight.

“Talk later.” He said quickly. “We need to help!”

Mattie nodded quickly, re-aiming her bow and perching on the hill top again. The Tabaxi remained close towards the bottom of the hill, not willing to leave the Satyr alone.

Things were still chaotic. While most of the bandits had been taken out, there was still a good number remaining. And the group of adventurers had been thoroughly separated.

Reese had taken the form of a bear now and was on her back legs, swatting at the bandits. Chess was struggling to reach the others, ducking and parrying blades. Kate had slammed several bandits to the floor with her guitar and was playing a melody now as she weaved past blows, trying to call the others to her position and also boost their strength. Cairo was launching fire spell after fire spell as she searched frantically for Riley.

And Riley was on the ground. She was still tired from the earlier burst of her magic. And then trying to defend herself here… she was already exhausted.

Three bandits were approaching her and Riley moved to struggle back to her feet.

“Heads up!”

Riley yelped and ducked backwards again as an orange body flew past her.

Ki centered on Farrah’s palm as she slammed it against one’s chest, sending him sprawling backwards to the floor. She spun, foot lashing out and catching the back of another’s legs, sending him to the floor. She whirled and caught the last one with her claws, making him crumple to the ground, gripping his bloodied arm.

Farrah turned back to Riley, kicking the head of the second bandit she had attacked, knocking him out. “The hell are you doing just sitting there?!”

Riley didn’t have time to answer before another person rushed over. A human cleric was now by both of their sides. “Farrah, stop doing that!” Then she caught sight of Riley, quickly moving to her side. “Are you okay? Did the bandits hurt you?”

Riley shook her head, letting the cleric help her to her feet. “Used too much magic…”

Both teifling and human’s eyes widened in realization. But before either could say something, Riley saw something that made her freeze. The others were all pinned down, surrounded, and panicked.

And with her emotions rising, her magic followed. Even with her exhaustion that burning and stinging pain rose within her again, making her cry out. But she embraced it. She was angry, she was scared, and her magic reflected it.

The gust of wind slammed full force into the remaining around them. Even her allies were staggered by the wind for a moment.

But with that, the tides had turned. 

Chess met up with Kate, the bard cheering victory as she played her guitar to give Chess a boost of energy that the knight used eagerly. Reese was sending the last few around her scattering as a tiger. Farrah took down several with well aimed hits. And Cairo’s flames shined brighter, using the winds to her advantage.

The remaining bandits were swiftly sent to the ground.

~~||~~||~~

“For the last time, stop running off on your own!” The human cleric told the tiefling, who just stood staring off into the distance, not listening to the human at all. The human frowned at their companion, calling for their name again.

“Farrah!”

“What?!” The tiefling yelled back at the cleric, clearly annoyed at their nagging.

“Listen to me, just—” 

“I know what I’m doing! I can take care of myself just fine.”

“But—”

“I’m not a fucking baby, Annleigh!”

The scene was a tad bit awkward for the rest of the travellers to witness. However, everyone soon gathered in one place, all minding their own business. Everyone tried their best to not stare at the two arguing, and soon enough, their companion came forth and broke the two apart, leaving them to their own devices instead.

The knight made haste with tying up the unconscious bandits with the help of the bard and the shifter. They did not need one of those rascals to wake up and roam around again, so immobilising them now was their only choice.

Kate eyed the stolen jewellery on the leader of the bandits, and with a smirk, she snatched it off of them. But just as she was about to pocket the goods, Chess gave her a disapproving head tilt.

“What? It’s not like they deserve it anyways.” Kate defended her actions, a pearl necklace dangling from their fingertips.

“They were stolen. They don’t belong to us and we have to return them.”

“Wh—” The bard tried to counter their friend’s argument, but someone else expressed their own opinions on their disagreement.

“Where the fuck would we even find their owners? Just take the stuff and sell them off, that’s what I’d do.” Farrah exclaimed with a sharp glare aimed at Chess.

“It’s immoral—”

“It’s called survival of the fittest, aasimar.” The tiefling responded with a grin, baring their fangs at the knight, who remained quiet after their retort.

Annleigh watched as the tiefling and the aasimar interacted, a sense of worry formed as she realised why her sister despised the knight already.

From what she learned before, Annleigh recalls the fact that these two races didn’t exactly get along well. Tieflings are known for their distrust of others, but this is taken to a whole new extreme when it comes to aasimars. The two races were polar opposites, the tiefling was cursed while the aasimar was blessed. 

Seeing as Farrah was seething at the sight of Chess’s golden eyes, Annleigh knew she had to step in before it’s too late.

“Leave them alone, Farrah. Let me check if you need healing.” She ordered the monk, who stepped away from the group, but not before giving the knight another scornful expression.

“Sorry for that, she doesn’t get along with other people.” Annleigh apologised to the knight.

“It’s alright.” Chess returned the apology with an understanding nod.

“What was up with that?” Kate queried, raising an eyebrow as she shoved the treasure into a small bag.

“Nothing to fret at.” The knight answered.

Riley sat down near a tree, tired from the fight that occurred.

She looked down at her palm, then held it with her other arm.

There was this strange sensation, almost identical to the one she felt yesterday.

It stinged, that’s how she would describe it. An abnormal amount of pain that she doesn’t experience regularly when she casts her spells.

She didn’t know how it kept happening, but her spells went out of control again. It wasn’t easily noticeable for the others, but to Riley, it felt off.

“Hey.” A voice came from behind, and Riley turned around to find the other sorcerer of their group lolling against the side of the tree.

“Hi Cairo!” Riley gathered up all her energy to greet her friend, which was evident in their sudden change in tone and expression.

“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt during the fight, right?” Cairo moved to sit next to the sorcerer, who kept a bright smile on their face as she did so.

“Nope. At least I don’t think I did?” She answered their question, and made an effort to deliberately not hold onto their arm anymore. She thought pain might just be a drawback from her spells. That’s what she liked to believe, what she wanted to tell the other.

“I could help you two check.” The tabaxi cleric walked over to them, offering them some assistance.

“Aren’t you….shouldn’t you be worrying about what those two are up to?” Cairo gestured over to Annleigh and Farrah, the former checking the latter for injuries, although the latter kept on insisting they did not have any.

“Those sisters will be fine on their own. They argue a bit everyday, not a rare sight.” He chuckled out.

The sorcerers were shocked by their response. The two of them instantly exchanged a look over to each other, but then after a small stretch of silence, the redhead spoke up.

“....sisters?” 

“Yeah. They’re sisters….is there anything strange about that…?” They replied with a nervous smile.

“Well, one of them is a human while the other is a…..” Cairo tried to point out what they thought was strange, but trailed off as she attempted to explain the difference between their races.

“They’re a tiefling, Cai! C’mon, we learned about them before!” Riley elbowed their partner after they began trying to recall the name of the specific race.

“Right, a tiefling….” Cairo repeated the name of the race again. “So how can those two be sisters?”

“Um, well Farrah is actually just a half tiefling, but she has most of the traits.” The cleric explained, which the two sorcerers nodded knowingly to.

“So…” The cleric spoke again. “Would you like me to see if you need any healing?”

“N—”

“That would be great! Thank you!”

Mattie watched as the group of bandits got tied up and restrained. Their weapons were tossed aside and Reese made her way over to the horses, then proceeded to free them of their owners, allowing them return to the wilderness.

The satyr caught onto the bard taking some of the bandits’s riches and storing them in their own pocket, but she didn’t judge their actions. In fact, she was grateful for the help from the seven travelers.

Right as the last horse was rid of the saddle on their back, Mattie spoke to the shifter next to her.

“We got lucky today, really lucky.” 

The shifter petted the horse on its back, then sent it back to the forest. After that, she answered the satyr by humming in agreement.

“We should thank them.” Mattie reminded her friend, who smiled softly and provided yet another short and simple reply. “Of course.”

The satyr was thankful to the group. She really was, but she couldn’t help but feel a slight tinge of sadness at the sight of the land around them now.

Most of the flowers were trampled by the horses and bandits, the trees were all covered in marks due to the fighting, and some of the magic used during the battle had left some lasting effects on the area.

The once glorious field was now tainted with blood. The part of the forest was completely destroyed, and the two couldn’t prevent it, even with the help from the others.

Mattie rocked one leg back and forth. She fidgeted with her hands as she scanned the land they were standing in now. It was once home to the ranger and shifter, but all of it was gone in an instant, taken right from their hands.

“The field…..it’s….” 

She couldn’t finish her sentence. She stood with the shifter, the both of them sharing a moment of silence while they mourn over the loss of their home.

“If it weren’t for them, who knows what might’ve happened to us.” Reese tried to start up a conversation, gesturing over to the others.

Still, Mattie only replied with a sorrowful sigh.

The duo spent a lot of time together in the forest. They’ve seen so many people pass through, some just tried to get through as quickly as possible, while some would rather enjoy the pleasant view. 

They didn’t understand why these bandits would waltz into their home and destroy it with no remorse.

The two swore to protect the area, but all their work up until now have been wasted.

Reese didn’t try to get her friend to speak again. She wouldn’t want to force them when they were clearly not in the mood to talk.

“Let’s go back over and figure out what we’re doing next, alright?” The shifter said, then guided the satyr to the group.

~~||~~||~~

The orange hue of a sunset washed over the forest.

While the group were all being healed by the two clerics, none of them noticed how fast the time passed by. Right as they finally decided to regroup into one, it had been dusk.

The tabaxi cleric had been pretty kind and helpful while trying to check up on Riley and Cairo. However, Cairo noticed that they’ve been giving a couple of quick glances over to Riley after helping them. She wasn’t particularly liking how he kept eyeing them, but a simple glare was enough for the cleric to stop.

Both of the sorcerers began to walk towards the group, and just when they were almost there, Cairo had stopped their companion.

“Can we have a quick chat?” Cairo stepped next to the redhead, then whispered to the sorcerer. The other questioned the sudden request for a few seconds, but eventually let Cairo guide them to a more private area.

The two stood underneath a tree, one larger than the one they had been sitting below.

Riley was still confused about what Cairo called her over to talk about, so she let the sorcerer in front of her start up the conversation.

“Look, I know I keep reminding you of this, but could you please be careful around….them?” Cairo asked, pausing a bit in her speech before she referred to the group.

“Cai, I genuinely think they’re—”

“We don’t know if they would sell us out or not. We don’t know any of them! They could betray us two in a single second and wouldn’t hesitate while they do.”

“We know Kate and Chess! We just got to know Mattie and Reese—”

“Then what about the other three? For fuck sake, one of them is a tiefling, you know what that means! You know what they’re capable of, you know that they’re dangerous!”

After Cairo reminded Riley of what they knew about tieflings, a few beats of silence past by.

“.....you forgot what their race was called, but you remembered that?” Riley asked the other, who was slightly stunned by the part of their reminder they chose to focus on.

“It just took me some time to remember!”

The rest of the group gathered in a part of the forest, but none of them spoke up. All of them returned to their respective partners, with Kate and Chess sharing some small talk, Mattie and Reese sitting down together, and the tabaxi cleric trying to calm both Farrah and Annleigh down.

Speaking of the tabaxi cleric, he cleared his throat to get the attention of the two sisters.

“Clark? What’s wrong?” Annleigh asked the other cleric.

“There’s something I noticed about one of those sorcerers, the one in the white robe.”

“What? Think they’re bangable or something? I’ll tear you apart if—”

“Farrah!” The human cleric quickly interrupted her sister’s threat, then allowed Clark to continue, although the tiefling gave her a small scoff before it.

“Anyways, I was sensing someone odd about that sorcerer. I’m not sure about what exactly, but I just wanted to warn you two about it.” Clark told the two.

“Oh, thank you! You’re such a great person for telling us about it!” Annleigh cheered out, which made the tabaxi smile. Meanwhile, Farrah sat between the two, cross armed and unamused.

“Get your cute couple shit out of my sight.”

“You can just walk away for a while, y’know!”

“You just told me to not run off on my own.”

“I—”

“Checkmate.” Farrah wore a proud smirk in her face, while Annleigh paused and trailed off, thinking of a good response to her sister’s argument.

“Alright, no need to get into another fight.” Clark separated the two, letting a sigh out as he did.

The tabaxi stuck with the two sisters for the longest during their adventures, he’s seen the two bicker about the most trivial things, but he still tries to calm them both down before they could cause some major damage.

Not to each other, just the environment around them.

He’s seen a table get thrown across a room once, and he’d rather not see it ever again.

…..let’s just say their fights can result in a fairly expensive maintenance fee.

Therefore, to prevent them from ending up with a broken table, or even worse, a broken window, Clark has to step in most of their fights before things can escalate.

As the two have yet again cooled down, they noticed the arrival of the two remaining members of their temporarily established group.

Riley and Cairo strolled back over to the group, who were all waiting for them to return from their chat.

Even with their return, the situation was still tense. Riley just minded her own business, mostly just looking off to the scenery in the distance, but Cairo occasionally shot glances over to Kate and Chess. The former of which had their ferret familiar crawl back out of the hood of their cloak, dropping from their shoulder to their lap.

When that happened, the three newcomers gawked at the sight of Kate Jr.

It plopped itself down onto Kate’s lap, not allowing the bard to move from their current spot. Trapped by the ferret, Kate could only ruffle its fur and pet its head in hopes of pleasing it enough to get it back in the hood.

“Is that a fucking ferret….that just came out of your cloak?” Farrah was the first to speak up within the group.

“Kate Jr.” Riley said without skipping a beat.

“Like I said before, we are not naming the goddamn ferret that.” Kate snapped back at the sorcerer.

After the exchange, Annleigh stepped up from her own group, hoping to start a proper introduction.

“I...um… I know we haven’t really gotten to know each other yet, so… I’m Annleigh...” She started, pointing to the two behind her next.

“And these two are Farrah and Clark.”

The others had a varying range of different reactions, from the enthusiastic waves of Riley and Mattie, the warm smiles of Reese and Chess, to the “I don’t give a fuck” side glances of Kate and Cairo.

“Well, now that we have that out of the way…” Cairo changed the topic, walking up to face the others.

“I think it’s time we discuss what we’re doing next.” She continued, and the others all shared a glance over to their companions.

Reese looked over to Mattie, who was slowly getting better from before and finally starting to open up to chat. 

Annleigh turns back to Clark and Farrah, the former giving her a thumbs up while the other spares her a small grin.

Chess tries to pet the ferret, and Kate leans back with their guitar placed beside them.

Finally, Cairo fixed a gaze at Riley, who looked as peppy as ever.

“We said we were heading to the next town before, I don’t see why we have to change our plans.” Kate pointed out, which Cairo actually listened to.

“Right, us four will—”

“We could come with you?” Reese offered, but Cairo seemed sceptical about it.

“You helped us with the bandits earlier, it’s only fair we accompany you and show you the way out of this forest.” Mattie added, which made sense to Riley and Chess.

Cairo wanted to continue, but the other party also voiced their own opinion.

“Could we also come along?” Clark stood from his spot, which surprised Annleigh and Farrah.

Annleigh bursted from her original seat to question the other cleric. “What’re you on about, Clark?”

In truth, Clark was still worried about the redhead among the group. There was a strange aura around them, something the cleric has never come across before.

“I want to figure out what’s happening with the sorcerer, I’m sorry but—” Clark tried to explain to Annleigh, but just as the human cleric glanced over to the aforementioned sorcerer, she stopped questioning Clark’s decision.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually going along with that.” Farrah complained from the back, irritated by the exchange.

“Farrah….I…” Annleigh muttered out, but it didn’t satisfy the tiefling at all. In return, Farrah looks over to Cairo instead.

“It doesn’t matter if you two want to go along, I’m sure they won’t allow it, will they?” Farrah gestured to Cairo, who huffed at the motion.

The tiefling was correct with their assumption though, Cairo did not want to let the group join, but the choice was taken away from her as Riley and Chess spoke up.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea, it’s just for until we reach the next town anyways.” Chess said, instantly angering the tiefling.

“Exactly! It’ll help us for any other trouble we might bump into on the road!” Riley quipped.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Farrah snarled at the others.

Cairo would’ve said the same thing as the tiefling, but she just reluctantly accepted the other’s requests.

She couldn’t deny Riley’s request. No matter how much she was wary of the tiefling among their group, there was strength in numbers. 

The sorcerer gave the tiefling one last look before deciding.

“...then it’s decided. We stick together until we reach the next town.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cairo: Elf sorcerer  
> Riley: Human sorcerer  
> Chess: Aasimar knight  
> Kate: Half-elf bard  
> Mattie: Satyr ranger  
> Reese: Shifter druid  
> Annleigh: Human cleric  
> Clark: Tabaxi cleric  
> Farrah: Tiefling monk  
> Eva: ?????


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: drinking/alcohol, mentions of blood, nightmares, self-hate/fearing oneself

Farrah did not want to be here.

She had just wanted to get to the next town with Annleigh and Clark. Only to hear the commotion of the bandits.

She had run to go see what was happening, something she now saw as a mistake. Seeing the group fighting the bandits she had immediately jumped in, saving the satyr before leaping into the fray.

And now, she was stuck with them.

Annleigh and Clark insisted that they stick with this group, at least until the next village. Safety in numbers or something like that. Even with what Clark had noticed about one of the two sorcerers.

Farrah didn’t trust this group. Not a single bit.

She didn’t know any of them. Who they were, their backstories. But she wasn’t going to just leave, Clark and Annleigh would be left alone with them and Farrah wasn’t going to leave those two in the first place.

She kept a close eye on all of the newcomers, ready for any sort of attack.

No one liked her, after all. Everyone hated her. Sometimes to the point of trying to kill her.

Be it because of her race, her drinking problem, or any of the several other problems. People had a tendency of hating her to the point of wanting her dead.

And what if they betrayed her in another way?

Told… them… where she was. Farrah wasn’t so sure that Annleigh could save her a second time. Not from shapeshifters and magic users when all Annleigh had was a rapier, healing magic, and a Tabaxi boyfriend who didn’t even have a weapon.

So to say she was wary about this group was an understatement.

None of them would hesitate to turn over a demon. A monster.

The aasimar especially was probably looking for any chance to get rid of her. Cursed and blessed beings didn’t get along. Every instinct in Farrah was telling her to hate Chess, to fight or fly against the knight.

None of them were to be trusted. Sometimes, Farrah wondered if she could even trust Clark and Annleigh.

So Farrah stuck as far away from the group as she could without actually leaving. Case in point, instead of sleeping with them, she would sleep either under a tree or up on a sturdy tree branch.

Which is where she was now.

She laid on her back on the branch, one arm behind her head and the other draped over her stomach. One leg and her tail dangled off the branch, the latter waving slowly and sleepily.

It was dusk, the sun on the horizon. The others were all setting up camp.

Farrah didn’t have a tent or anything to set up. So she didn’t help, instead finding herself a tree close enough to where she could see the camp.

Her eyes were closed and she was already halfway into the dream world. A place she had a love-hate relationship with. Most of the time it was hate.

But just before she could fall asleep, she heard a voice right under the tree.

“Farrah!”

Farrah huffed but didn’t open her eyes. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep the person would go away.

“Farrah, please come down?” The voice called, only more insistent. “Uhm… I can come back later if you want?”

Farrah opened her eyes with a sigh, looking up at the leaves above her. She recognized which of her new companions it was now. The small, shy satyr. No matter how shy she was, the girl could be very persistent when she wanted to.

There could be worse people trying to call for her attention.

So Farrah rolled, grabbing onto the branch with a clawed hand before she could fall. She heard Mattie gasp below her but the only reaction Farrah gave the noise was a flick of her ear. She swung herself and grabbed onto the tree’s trunk before practically sliding the rest of the way down, hopping once she was low enough.

Sure enough, there stood Mattie. The Satyr gaped at her for a moment before smiling widely, tail beginning to wag.

“What is it?” Farrah asked almost sleepily, pulling her flask out and taking a sip.

Mattie decidedly ignored the drinking. “I made something for you!” Whatever it was she held behind her back, hidden from Farrah’s view. “Close your eyes and lean down a bit!”

Farrah stared at her, frowning. “And why the hell would I do that?”

After all, what if it was a trick?

Have her close her eyes so she was off guard. So Mattie could shoot her in the head with an arrow. So Kate could smash her head with her guitar. So Chess could behead her.

The last time Farrah trusted someone, albeit not so blindly, that was what could have happened. If Annleigh hadn’t come for her, she wouldn’t be standing here.

Farrah wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

She glanced over at the others in the group, eyes narrowed. None of them were paying any attention to her and Mattie, not even Annleigh and Reese. She looked back to Mattie, who seemed a little disappointed by her answer.

“You… don’t want it?”

Farrah stared at Mattie for another beat. The satyr looked so… sad with her response. Her tail had stopped wagging and Farrah suspected that she could see tears beginning to gather in Mattie’s eyes.

Another glance to the others. None of them were looking. None of them were moving to sneak up on her.

So Farrah closed her eyes and ducked her head down so Mattie could reach. She cursed the anxiety that welled up in her, making her tense and ready to run or fight. Her ears were tuned in to every sound and she could hear Mattie’s excited gasp.

And then ever so carefully, something was placed on her head and adjusted ever so slightly.

“There!”

Farrah snapped her eyes open and straightened. But then she slowed as she reached up and felt what was on her head.

Flowers?

There was a stream near them, the group wanting to be near a freshwater source. So Farrah stepped over to it and looked at her reflection.

Sure enough, perched on her head was a colorful flower crown.

Farrah didn’t speak, instead giving Mattie a confused look. Mattie smiled at her.

“Well, you haven’t seemed happy. So, I wanted to try and give you flowers.” Mattie said happily. “Maybe they would cheer you up!”

Farrah still didn’t speak, only staring at the satyr. She looked for any kind of trick. Something that could be harmful, mocking, dangerous. But… she couldn’t find anything.

Mattie really was trying to cheer her up.

“They’re… nice.” Farrah admitted, looking back to Mattie.

“I’m happy you like them!” Mattie looked overjoyed at Farrah even just saying they were nice. She paused, looking at Farrah curiously and then excitedly. “I have a question I want to ask but there’s somewhere I want to go to do it!”

Mattie looked so hopeful but Farrah couldn’t help but not trust her. “Can you not ask me here?” The tiefling asked, crossing her arms.

“Oh, well… I could if it makes you feel safer?” Mattie offered. The offer alone took Farrah off guard.

Usually, people always insisted that they do it their way. But here was Mattie, willing to compromise if it made Farrah feel more secure.

Farrah observed the satyr for a moment. She was nervous, her hands folding together and playing with her fingers. She kept stomping one hoof slightly, scraping it in the dirt.

“Alright.”

Mattie blinked at her, peeking up towards Farrah. “Really?!”

Farrah huffed. “Yeah sure. I’ll go with you.” There was an unspoken, ‘and hopefully I won’t regret it.’

Mattie quickly took Farrah by the hand and began to pull the surprised tiefling along. Mattie wasn’t afraid of her claws?

“Reese, we’ll be at the flower patch I found if you need us!” Mattie called to the shifter, earning a call back of acknowledgement. Before they disappeared into the bushes, Farrah swore she spotted a look of surprise on Annleigh’s face.

Farrah let Mattie tug her along. The tiefling’s ears kept twitching and she looked around them cautiously.

Soon enough Mattie let go of her hand and bounded forward slightly.

Farrah paused, taking in the beautiful sight. It was nothing compared to the field Mattie and Reese had once called home, but it was still gorgeous with flowers covering the tiny clearing filled with orange light from the dying sun.

Faintly, Farrah wondered if Mattie liked it so much because it reminded her of home.

In the time Farrah had paused Mattie had moved back to her again and was carefully pulling her along again until they were in the center of the flowers.

“Sit down.” Mattie said, taking a seat. Farrah slowly joined her. Mattie beamed at her and Farrah only blinked back.

“So?” Farrah asked after a moment.

Mattie tilted her head slightly so Farrah continued. “You said you wanted to ask me something.”

Mattie perked up, the satyr’s tail wagging again. “Oh that’s right!” She grew a bit nervous. “I was hoping I could… put flowers on your horns?”

Farrah stared at her for a beat. “Kid, you already gave me a flower crown.”

Mattie nodded. “Yeah, but I think they would look great on your horns! Your horns are very beautiful, Farrah!”

Farrah paused. No one had ever called her horns beautiful before. Annleigh had called them cute… but that was years ago, when they were children.

At Farrah’s silence Mattie continued, beginning to ramble with a nervous laugh. She gestured to her own, flower covered horns. “Plus it feels very relaxing to have someone put them on your horns! Reese did mine—!”

“Fine.” Farrah relented, interrupting Mattie. She wasn’t sure why she was agreeing. She was fully ready to say no. But she was agreeing instead.

But before she closed her eyes or laid down, Farrah gave Mattie a glare. “But try anything and I won’t hesitate.”

Mattie let out another nervous laugh that trailed off. Warning given, Farrah closed her eyes and laid back, flat on her back. She heard Mattie moving around, grabbing flowers. The satyr was murmuring prayers of thanks to the nature goddess as she went.

Soon enough, Mattie began to weave the flowers onto Farrah’s horns, humming as she went.

Farrah was tense at first, every instinct telling her this was not to be trusted. But ever so slowly, her eyes started to drift shut. The hands curling and pressing against her horns and occasionally her hair felt soothing and nice.

And soon enough, she fell asleep.

Mattie smiled at the sight, giggling as she continued arranging the flowers. Even though it had been such a short time she had never seen Farrah so calm.

It was nice to see.

Farrah didn’t take the flowers out until well into the next day. She kept the flower crown for even longer.

~~||~~||~~

Another nightmare. Farrah hated them with a passion.

The group had been taking a break in the middle of the day, the sun high in the sky. And Farrah got away from them again, hiding within the green leaves of a large tree. And at some point, she had fallen asleep.

She knew how to be quiet now, after a few years of hiding the nightmares.

So when she woke up with a tiny gasp, no one knew she had a nightmare. If they could see her, they would know. Claws ready to latch onto an unseen attacker, tail lashing in a wild fear, lips drawn back in a snarl, dilated pupils. It was a wonder she hadn’t fallen out of the tree.

Blood stained claws.

Screaming.

Annleigh calling her name.

Angry yelling at her.

She herself was angry, fury filling her veins. Now it was panic.

She didn’t… she didn’t mean to…

Farrah snapped herself away from the thoughts, shaking fingers grabbing at her flask. She took a long drink before managing to pull herself out of the tree. She learned her lesson the last time she had gotten drunk on a tree branch.

So she curled against the tree, on the side where no one could see her from their nearby break spot, and began to drink.

Blur the thoughts. Empty her mind. Become someone else. It was a routine at this point.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, time blurring just as much as her vision and mind did. But she kept drinking until not a single drop came out of the flask.

She growled upon noticing that, clenching her hand tighter around the flask. But she soon untensed, closing her eyes and resting her head back against the tree.

“Farrah?”

The tiefling let out a grunt, still upset about her empty flask. She glanced up and could make out Chess looking down at her. She couldn’t make out the worried frown on the aasimar’s face.

“It’s time to get back on the road.”

Farrah began to push herself up, nearly falling face down in the process. It was a struggle but she was soon on her feet, wobbling slightly.

“Are… you okay?” Chess asked, moving to help her stand.

“‘M…” Farrah swatted her away, stumbling slightly in the process. “Fine!”

“Farrah, I just want to help you stand, I promise.” Chess said calmly. “Can I help you stand?”

Farrah whirled to face Chess, glaring at her and taking a step closer.

“Fuck off, aasimar!”

Right after she said that, someone was suddenly shoving at her shoulders and Farrah stumbled, claws digging into tree bark again to keep herself steady.

“Kate!” Chess was shouting.

Sure enough, Kate stood in front of Chess, glaring at Farrah. Chess was gaping at her in shock and maybe even anger.

The others had heard the commotion and were making their way over now. Farrah hardly noticed all the eyes on her in the moment, alcohol and fury flooding through her and washing that worry away.

“What the fuck?!” Farrah hissed, squinting at Kate.

“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Kate yelled.

“I wasn’t going to touch your little girlfriend!” Farrah yelled right back.

Kate spluttered for a moment. “She is not my girlfriend!” Chess tried to intervene again, holding onto Kate’s shoulder. The bard steadily ignored her. “Why the hell would I trust a tiefling to not hurt her?!”

Farrah laughed. The alcohol still ran through her system. “Maybe you shouldn’t!”

Annleigh was by her side now. “Farrah—!”

Farrah didn’t listen to a word Annleigh said after her name, focus trapped solely on Kate.

“Kate, let it go. We need to get moving and you aren’t helping.” Chess said, Kate finally looking her in the eyes.

“Chess. I refuse to wait until she hurts you.” Kate declared. “She already hates you!”

Clark tried to step in now, the Tabaxi holding his paws out placatingly. “Maybe we should all just relax…”

“I’m not going to relax when she can hurt Chess!” Kate snarled. “And look at her! She’s drunk off her ass!”

“Maybe we should all listen to Clark—!” Reese tried too.

Kate let out a harsh laugh. “Look at her she can barely stand!”

Sure enough, both Annleigh and the tree had to support Farrah. And something in Farrah finally snapped. Kate calling her dangerous, pointing out her drinking. That was it.

The next thing Farrah registered was herself lashing out followed by several yells. Farrah paled, swerving so her claws missed Kate entirely. Instead, Farrah tripped, hitting the ground.

She brought a shaking hand up to stare at it. The familiar red color was there. But everything blurred and she blinked. Opening her eyes, the blood was gone.

“She tried to attack me!” Kate was yelling. Chess was trying to make her stop.

Her voice was too loud in Farrah’s already sensitive ears. Everything was too loud. Her head was pounding and she was suddenly all too aware of what she could have done. Her ears fell and she stared at her claws.

That terrified emotion she tried to drink away was suddenly back. That familiar hum of the alcohol blurring her mind was still there, but the terror was suddenly overpowering it.

Everyone was yelling now and someone was trying to touch her. Farrah swatted at them and the presence moved away. She managed to pick herself up, panic and alcohol making a terrible combination for movement, and sat against the tree.

Chess was in front of her now, holding out a hand.

Farrah slapped it away. “Don’t…” Hide fear with anger. “Don’t touch me!” She scrambled to her feet, almost slipping several times in the process.

“Farrah, I’m just trying to help.” Chess tried to appease.

“Help me?! Help a tiefling?!”

All filters were gone. What were they arguing about? Farrah wasn’t quite sure.

“You don’t know what it feels like to be hated, aasimar!” Farrah snarled, getting in Chess’s face. “You’re loved and praised, I’m hated and cursed! So stop pretending like you know!”

“Farrah—!”

Someone else from the group was trying to intervene but Farrah ignored them, spinning and rushing off even with the calls behind her. She was suddenly hyperaware of the gazes locked into her.

The world blurred around her as she vanished into the woods, away from the group she didn’t even want to be a member of.

~~||~~||~~

As Farrah ran off, the group could only stare after her.

Chess turned to gape at Kate. “What the hell was that?!”

“I was trying to protect you!”

“Protect me?!” Chess looked taken aback. “From what danger?! She wasn’t going to hurt me! I was trying to get her to let me help!”

“She was about to hit you!”

“Oh, so stepping close to me is attacking?!” Chess barked out a bitter laugh. “What, I can’t protect myself now?!”

“That’s not—!”

“I’m a knight, Kate.” Chess’s voice became quieter. “Not a child.”

There was a nervous laugh and then Riley was stepping between them. “Okay! I think we all need to take a little bit and calm down!”

“What about Farrah?” Annleigh asked. She looked ready to run after Farrah at a second’s notice, only remaining back because of Clark.

The mentioned cleric was next to Annleigh now, holding her close to his side and rubbing a hand up and down her arm. The tabaxi looked just as worried.

“Well…” Riley glanced back to the forest. “Someone should go after her.”

At that, Annleigh was moving from Clark’s arm, earning a worried frown from her boyfriend. Annleigh began to walk towards the forest, not looking back at the group.

“Where are you going?” Cairo asked, watching the entire group with a small glare. 

“I’m going to go find my sister!” Annleigh told her sharply, spinning back around.

Kate barked out a laugh. “Sisters?! You two argue at least once a day!”

Annleigh pursed her lips. “I’m still going after her!”

“Wait!”

Everyone paused and looked to Reese, who had spoken. “I can go after her. We haven’t argued so she has nothing against me!”

“And I’ll go too!” Mattie stepped up. “We can find her and make sure she comes back safe!”

Annleigh stared at them for a long moment. And then slowly, she nodded. “Alright… okay…”

So Mattie and Reese set off immediately. They wanted to find Farrah before something could happen to her or she got too far. They soon slowed slightly, Reese changing back from being a tiger.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Reese asked Mattie, her usual, happy attitude and smile exchanged for a frown.

The satyr looked worried, scanning the forest. “I hope so… she always seems sad.”

Reese blinked at her. “Sad?”

Reese was rather sure it was anger. But then again, she hadn’t been around the tiefling much.

Mattie nodded slowly, fixing her gaze to the ground. “She’s sad… she just tries to hide it with anger.”

Reese hummed, nodding to herself. That made sense, everyone processed emotions differently. “And she tries to drink it away too…” she murmured, more to herself. She perked up, giving Mattie a smile. “Hey, don’t worry! We’ll find her! Probably any second now!”

Mattie gave her a small smile. “Yeah, she couldn’t have gotten far!”

The two resumed their silence for another minute. And then, Reese stopped Mattie from walking. “Wait, look!” The shifter pointed at something Mattie gasped in relief and happiness.

There was Farrah, sitting next to a stream. The tiefling sat on a large flat rock, flask beside her and curled into herself, tail wrapped around her. She was staring at the water, jaw pressed into the pink scarf she wore around her neck, one bandaged hand holding tight to the fabric.

“Farrah?”

They slowly walked up to her and Farrah gave them a small glance before looking back to the water again. The two sat next to her, not on either side. The last thing they wanted was to make Farrah feel trapped.

There was a stretch of silence before Farrah moved, holding something out towards them.

The flower crown.

“Farrah—!”

“Take it.” Farrah didn’t look at them, her words slurred. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Farrah, you’re drunk, you don’t mean that.” Reese said quietly, concern crossing her features.

“Yeah, I do.”

There was a beat. And then ever so slowly, Mattie took the crown from Farrah’s hand.

“What’s wrong?” Mattie asked, holding the crown close.

Farrah swayed slightly, curling further into herself. “Everyone hates me.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t know you well enough to hate you!” Reese tried to joke. Her nervous laugh trailed into silence as Farrah met her eyes.

The tiefling’s gaze was blank. Neither Reese nor Mattie could see any emotion. For a second, a deep sorrow flickered before it vanished. And then, Farrah spoke.

“You’ve gotten to see the demon.” Farrah looked down at her orange hand with sharp claws. She opened and closed it before looking back to the two. “Maybe you’ll get the chance to know the demon itself.”

Mattie and Reese both gaped, sharing a long stare with each other. What do you even say to that?!

“You aren’t a demon!” Mattie objected. She gripped the flower crown tightly.

“Yeah!” Reese quickly joined. “You don’t seem like any kind of demon to me!”

Farrah’s tail lashed angrily now. “Then why do I always hear that I am? Why was I thrown away because of it? Why do I kill people?!”

And suddenly, Reese could see what Mattie meant by Farrah being sad. 

She was sad and angry with the world and trying to hide it and drink it away. The only reason she was being this vulnerable with them was because she was drunk.

“Well…” Reese began, trying to find the words. Mattie looked just as lost. “The people who say you are don’t know you. They look at you and see something dangerous.” She laughed nervously. “I uh… I know that personally.”

Farrah stared at her and Reese continued. “Having the features of a wild animal really don’t make you the most popular person around here…”

Farrah carefully spoke. “I think you look nice.”

Reese beamed at her. “And so do you! Honestly, you look awesome!”

Farrah actually seemed a little happier at that, tail uncurling and beginning to wave slightly. She gave Reese a small smile and Reese silently cheered for her small victory. Even if Farrah was drunk and not acting herself, she would take the smile.

But just as quickly as the smile appeared did it vanish again. “I’ve still hurt people.”

“I haven’t known you very long, but I can’t see you hurting someone!” Mattie coughed slightly before correcting herself. “Well, not without reason… Like protecting me! You saved me from that bandit!”

Farrah stared at her too, almost blankly. But a frown crossed her face and she hummed slightly. “Had to protect her.” She mumbled.

“See?” Mattie said, beaming at Farrah. “You were trying to protect someone! That’s a good thing!”

Reese pointed a finger up into the air. “Protecting someone doesn’t make you a monster! I’d say it makes you a good person!”

Farrah was quiet as she spoke. “I guess…” but she still wasn’t so sure.

The trio lapsed into silence. They listened to the water streaming past, to the calls of the birds in the trees above them. It was peaceful. Until finally, Reese took note of the sun lowering further and further into the sky.

“Why don’t we go back to the others… I’m sure Annleigh is worried about you.” Reese said gently.

Farrah shook her head. “Annleigh doesn’t care about me…” She muttered, burrowing deeper into the pink scarf.

“I’m sure she does! She wanted to come after you herself!” Mattie pressed.

“To lecture me.” Farrah replied far too easily for either Mattie or Reese’s likings.

“Well, if she tries to lecture you… then we’ll stop her!” Reese offered, looking confident. “But I’m pretty sure she won’t lecture you!”

There was a long pause. And then they heard a mumbled agreement.

Reese and Mattie carefully helped Farrah stand, each taking an arm. She was still pretty drunk and neither wanted to tempt Farrah falling into the stream or hitting her head.

And then they made their way back towards the group. As they walked Mattie carefully placed the flower crown back on Farrah’s head.

Whether it was because she was tired or appreciated the crown, the two didn’t know.

But either way, Farrah didn’t make an attempt to remove it.

~~||~~||~~

Everyone dispersed in different directions after Farrah ran away.

The area was dead silent. The bard didn’t bother to play a tune, the others didn’t want to talk.

Some decided to set up camp near the area, since they assumed it would take a while before Mattie and Reese could find the tiefling and persuade them to come back anyways. Meanwhile, a few of the others were still cooling themselves down from what had just unfolded, namely Chess, Kate and Annleigh.

As for the ones less involved in what had just happened, those being Riley and Cairo, the two sorcerers helped each other with pitching up their tent. Overall, those two seemed to be doing better than the rest of the group.

Well, that is to say Cairo hasn’t lit up the piece of cloth in her hands out of frustration.

“Third time’s the charm, Cai! Try again!”

“This is technically the seventh try, but sure.”

Apart from them, everyone was still thinking over what had just happened.

Annleigh rested next to the campfire. She had her legs curled up and wrapped by her own arms. Her eyes stared into the flames, the orange and red of it taking up most of her vision.

Some part of her wanted to move. It wanted her to bolt up from her spot and run. She wanted to find Farrah, but who knows how far she’s run off.

Sometimes, she had to confront the fact that she’s not as good of a sister as others have always told her.

The reality of it just crashes down and collapses into her world.

She never wanted to view Farrah as some sort of burden, she didn’t want it to feel like that. She knew Farrah was trying her best….in her own way.

A good sister is supposed to support and look after her sibling.

Annleigh isn’t sure if she’s done that.

The bard was right, the two argued so much in a single day that it seemed impossible for the two to be related.

Even when she’s in trouble, Annleigh didn’t step in to help. She watched from the sidelines. When the tiefling ran away, she didn’t follow.

Now it’s just her and the pile of firewood being engulfed by the growing flames. 

Staring at it wouldn’t help.

Sitting here wouldn’t help.

She knew that, but she still remained in the same position.

Time passed by too fast. She wished the two were still in the gardens, frolicking and playing in the maze of bushes. She wanted to relive her childhood again, she wanted a second try where nothing went wrong. 

She didn’t want this.

No matter how hard the two tried, their relationship never recovered.

If only that day never happened. Everything would’ve gone on perfectly if it weren’t for that one day.

The memory of that day always crawled back in her mind.

The flashbacks never stopped being so vivid.

Blood dripped off of her sister’s claws, the dress she wore was then soiled with dark red.

Nothing was the same ever since that day.

The cleric was mesmerised by the campfire. She could stare on for hours, she could distract herself from those thoughts, providing herself with some form of escape.

The warmth radiating from it gave her a sense of comfort, something she desperately needed, especially now.

The worry in her heart kept on increasing, but the weight of it all kept her sitting on the floor. She wasn’t ready to confront it just yet. 

She should put some faith in the tiefling, if they said they could take care of themselves, then why should she stop them? It’s time she listened to her sister for once, and gave them the release they wanted.

Annleigh didn’t notice when a figure moved to sit next to her.

Guilt consumed the cleric. The world fell apart around them and the cleric didn’t do anything. What Kate had told her earlier rang through her mind. It was true, and Annleigh wouldn’t deny it.

All of a sudden, something else entered Annleigh’s vision. A hand waved in front of her.

The cleric finally snapped back from her train of thought, then found the person calling for her attention.

“....Kate?”

The bard next to her had her cloak on, their guitar strapped to their back and a piece of bread in their hands. Once the cleric noticed the bard, they extended the piece over to her, signaling for her to take it.

Annleigh’s gaze lingered on the bard’s hand, pausing to examine it. Kate raised an eyebrow at the motion, thinking the cleric was looking at the piece of food. However, the cleric was instead studying the accessory Kate had on her wrist.

On the bard’s arm, there was a bracelet decorated with blue and green charms. Annleigh remembered seeing a similar bracelet elsewhere, but she couldn’t quite put her finger in where exactly she saw it before.

Not wanting to seem rude, the cleric accepted the bread and took it off the bard’s hand.

“You haven’t eaten all day, I’m not dealing with you if you starve yourself to death.” The bard explained, looking away from the cleric once they received the food.

“...thank you.” Annleigh said. The bard kept on avoiding the cleric’s gaze, her head leaning on her head as the two continued to sit by the campfire.

Both of them sat in silence after the exchange. Annleigh enjoyed the food the bard offered in the awkward silence. None of them wanted to start another conversation, so they remained in the same state until the cleric had finished.

While that happened, Annleigh noticed the other fidgeting with the bracelet. They occasionally peered down onto their wrist, scanning through each charm. Not only that, but the cleric also caught onto the bard trying to start another exchange with her. Kate opened her mouth several times during the silence, but soon faltering and never speaking up.

Seeing as the bard wanted to begin another chat, Annleigh brought up a topic after she swallowed her last bite of bread.

“How is your friend doing? I’m sorry for...earlier.” Annleigh apologised, brushing off the crumbs left behind.

“...Chess is fine. She said she just needs a little alone time.” Kate replied, still looking off to the distance instead of looking at the cleric.

The answer made Annleigh a bit more relieved than before. At least she now knows the other party is doing well. Well, she doesn't know about the bard, since all they’ve been doing was avoiding Annleigh. The cleric didn’t force the bard to express how they felt. After what had happened, she’s sure the other still needs some time, so she changes the topic instead.

“So how did your group get together before? You all seem...interesting.”

“It started with just Chess and I, Riley and Cairo came along a few days ago, then we met Mattie and Reese in the forest, just right before the three of you arrived at the fight.”

“Ah, you seem quite acquainted with them all though.”

“Can’t really say that for most of them, we might’ve spent a few days together, but it doesn’t mean we’re friends or anything.”

“Then...what about Chess?”

There was an instant pause in their conversation after that question. Kate holds onto the bracelet tighter, giving it another longing glance while the cleric fears that she just brought up something the bard was sensitive about.

Just as Annleigh was about to apologise, Kate spoke up.

“We’ve known each other for a long time. She...might be the first and only friend I’ve had so far.” The bard explained, her gaze at the bracelet finally ending. She held out her arm, rolling up her sleeves for the cleric to view the accessories clearly. “We even got these after hanging out for a while.”

“Chess insisted on getting something to...signify our friendship...or some bullshit along the lines of that. I don’t know, she just really wanted us to get these.”

As Kate said that, she surveyed the knight standing by herself in the distance.

After what had just happened, the knight didn’t speak to Kate, and simply walked off to think over what occurred.

The words of the knight hit Kate hard. It was as if someone punched the bard in the gut, the pain of it hurt just as much as that. The bitterness of their tone, the choice of their wording, it all struck Kate right in the heart.

She wanted her friend to be safe. She wanted Chess to stay by her side, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to the knight, so when any type of threat arose, the bard often found themselves jumping in front of the knight at all times, ready to fend off anything that came their way.

The bard thought it was the right thing to do. Sometimes her body acted on its own accord, sometimes she just moved without any thought, always rushing to their friend’s side.

Kate continued to gaze off to the knight’s direction, and the cleric noticed how they began fidgeting with the bracelet again once they started to focus on the aasimar.

“....I’m sorry.” She muttered out, turning back to face the cleric.

“You don’t—”

“Quit it with the ‘you don’t have to’ crap, I know I was wrong, and I’ll own up to my mistakes.”

The cleric couldn’t find it in herself to come up with a response. Annleigh simply stared at the bard, who tried to keep on avoiding the cleric’s gaze after their apology.

“....you’re really not as talkative as your sister, huh?” The bard said, causing the cleric to snap back from their stunned state. “I...I didn’t mean what I said earlier, even siblings gotta have some arguments. In fact, it’d be weird if you didn’t argue with her.”

“You...think so?” The cleric spoke, to which the bard nodded.

“Aren’t...I a bad sister?”

“You’re doing your best, I haven’t seen you two get along for most of the time, but I can see you care about her.” The bard answered, ceasing their fidgeting while they thought of a response.

“Farrah...she just needs some time. She’s not a bad person, it’ll take a while until she trusts others, but I assure you that she’s trying her best as well.” Annleigh told the bard, who scoffed at their statement.

“I’d hope so.”

With their last response, the bard got up from their spot. She spied three figures moving towards the group, and gave the cleric a signal to stand up as well.

Luckily for the group, the three figures approaching were none other than Mattie, Reese and Farrah. With no hesitance at all, Annleigh dashed over to the trio returning, leaving the bard to stand by the fireside.

Kate glanced at the knight once again with a sorrowful glint in their eyes, then sighed as she moved away from the fireplace, off to a quieter place by themselves. All alone with no one to accompany them. The loneliness they despised so much returning because of her own actions.

As for the others, they all hurried over to the trio’s side.

The tiefling stayed silent after they returned, and the group decided to rest for now as to reserve some energy for their travels. Since then, they all huddled over to the campfire. Some questioned the disappearance of the bard, but Chess swiftly promised them that Kate would be back. 

Even though most of them have calmed down from the fight, Farrah still couldn’t help but glare at the aasimar. Of course, the knight noticed the tiefling’s actions, and tried to earn their trust gradually. She didn’t want to force the tiefling, she just hopes their new party member would learn that Chess meant no harm to the tiefling.

“Kate just had to run off on her own right after we got them back…” Cairo cursed under her breath. Fortunately, only Riley managed to hear her, and elbowed them in the side after she heard the complaint.

Apart from the two sorcerers, everyone else was still tense about the events unfolded, but someone attempted to break the silence of the group, that being the aasimar.

“So, I know that most of us don’t trust each other, and I don’t expect us all to just after meeting for a day, but I….I want to get along with everyone.” Chess began, the speech somewhat directed at the tiefling.

“I don’t owe you shit.” Farrah seethed out at the knight. “I don’t know where you’re from, I don’t know why you’re out here, why the fuck should I trust you? I’m not obligated to get along with anyone here.”

Chess considered their argument for a while, it made sense to the knight, and she tried her best to answer the tiefling.

“Then...I could tell you. If it helps, then I’ll tell you why I’m here.”

A few of the group widened their eyes in shock, and one of them had tried to tell the knight that she didn’t need to, but Chess kept on insisting that she wanted to. Someone else brought up the fact that Kate wouldn’t agree to this, but just when the knight was about to explain, a voice pitched into their conversation.

“Do it.” Kate stood behind the group, their arms gripping onto their cloak. Their eyes lingered on the knight, and they added on with a sigh. “If Chess wants to, then I have no objections.”

“Where the hell did you go?” Cairo questioned the bard.

“Needed a breath of fresh air.” Kate deadpanned to the sorcerer, then took a seat around the campfire like the rest of the group. Before the knight began, Kate checked the aasimar’s wrist, making sure a certain accessory was still worn on their arm.

Chess looked at the bard one last time, then began to explain what happened to the two before meeting the group.

“We knew each other since we were children. We grew up in a village, our houses just next to each other’s, and we spent years by the other’s side….until I had to go for a while.” The knight started off with a basic background, but she paused after the last part, noting the bard’s more frequent fidgeting as she got to the part.

“I went to receive training to become a knight, I was selected among the people from the village, and I got sent away for a few years to do so.” She continued, and with each sentence, the bard’s expression grew more woeful.

“I came back to the village after that, and us two spent some time just...trying to catch up, but…” She trailed off. The bard bit her lip, readying themselves for when the knight continued.

“Our village got attacked not long after I returned, and we both fled from our homes to escape the raiders.”

~~||~~||~~

Nighttime arrived soon after the group had their chat. After Chess had explained what led the knight and the bard out in the wild, the group all expressed their sympathies for the two, except for Farrah, who stayed silent for the rest of the night.

Annleigh made an attempt to talk with her sister, but the tiefling refused their invitation, then went to sleep on the top of yet another tree. The cleric had no idea why the tiefling seemed more reserved and quiet than usual, but she gave up on trying to find out. The satyr and shifter seemed to get along with Farrah, and Annleigh was glad that Farrah finally had others to befriend...eventually.

Everyone else had gone to rest in their respective tents, and the night was spent without any other interruptions.

In the morning, a few of the group awoke earlier than the others. 

Farrah perched onto a secure branch of the tree, surveying the camp. All the tents were closed, apart from one.

Even though the tiefling didn’t have much time to recognise every tent and their owners, she could tell the tent was Kate’s with the cloak left behind, thrown onto the ground beside it.

Farrah didn’t particularly care for the bard, they were friends with Chess, so that automatically left a bad impression, and the tiefling was irritated by how protective they were over the aasimar. Kate wasn’t someone among the group that she’d get along with, the bard talked too much, stirred up trouble and was overall just….too loud for the tiefling’s liking.

Therefore, she turned a blind eye on the missing party member.

In reality, the bard couldn’t sleep for most of the night. The anxiety of Chess starting to dislike her followed her around, her worries never went away, and she just couldn’t stand hearing that one sentence over and over again.

To combat that reoccurring voice, she took a short walk once again. The bard slumped their body over a nearby river, their reflection staring back at her. Their drowsy eyes clearly showed on the surface of the water, along with the bed head she gained from rolling over repeatedly. 

Kate dipped both of her hands into the water, splashing it onto her face to keep herself awake. As the water dripped off her chin, she ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to fix her messy hairstyle.

The sounds of the running water helped to keep her distracted from the voice, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something to help her forget that sentence ringing through her head.

She knew Chess wasn’t the child she once knew. They’ve both grown since then.

She can protect herself. She doesn’t need the bard’s help.

Kate picked up her guitar, gripping it close to herself. She strummed the strings in a panic, then forced herself to play a tune.

She had to distract herself from reality, even if the song only lasted a few minutes.

As long as she had the company of a melody, she wasn’t alone. It gave her a sense of comfort, the feeling of loneliness fades when a tune is played, and it has always been that way ever since Chess had left her.

The years without her best friend by her side was rough, but she made it through with music as her only companion.

Kate never told Chess how she felt during those years, but she figured the knight knew after a while. She missed the times where the two would sneak out in the night just to lay down in the fields, admiring the stars above. Chess sometimes asked her to sing out a few songs, and Kate complied every time. Even after Chess had gone away for her training, Kate could always imagine the knight by her side, as long as she sang the familiar tune. 

And so, the bard sang away her sorrows once more, until everyone else finally woke up.

After a while, the group packed up their belongings and began to move. They all agreed to distance the aasimar and the tiefling, and most of their journey went on without any more arguments, besides the small bickering between Kate and Cairo, but those are always a constant in their adventures.

Farrah stayed in the back of the group, keeping herself away from a majority of the group. She would occasionally share a glance with her sister, Mattie or Reese, but she didn’t interact with the others. She didn’t want to chat, and she certainly didn’t want to bring up the faint humming she heard earlier in the morning.

The nine travelers made their way towards the next town in their path, and the sight of some buildings soon appeared.

Mattie practically jumped up as soon as she saw the bustling streets of the town. The satyr hasn’t seen a town as busy and crowded as this one for quite a long time, so she couldn’t contain her excitement as she roamed out onto the streets of the town. 

However, before the satyr could fully explore the town, she had to first bid the rest of the group farewell.

They made an agreement to split up after they reached the next town, and the time has come for them to do so.

“Well then….” Riley spoke up first. “This is where we go our separate ways.”

“Yeah…..so this is it then.” Chess followed, glancing over to Kate. The knight didn’t know exactly how she was going to do it, but she decided to talk over everything that happened yesterday with the bard once they split up, so she kept an eye on Kate as the group were about to head their own ways.

The others had similar reactions as the two, but for Farrah, she was relieved once they reached the town. She could finally part ways with the aasimar, so she couldn’t care less about saying goodbye to the others.

Well, she still wanted to talk to the satyr one more time before they officially went back to their own adventures.

Farrah approached the satyr, who just finished chatting with the others. In the tiefling’s hands, there was a small bag filled with some of the loot she had taken off of the bandits.

Mattie spotted the bag, but didn’t say much of it. Instead, she focused on the tiefling.

“Farrah!” Mattie waved at the tiefling, who returned the gesture with a small, barely noticeable smile.

“Hey, kid.” She greeted the satyr, who sighed at the name Farrah called her. Even then, the satyr couldn’t help but smile back.

After Farrah walked up to Mattie, she held out the bag towards Mattie, offering it to the satyr.

“Figured you might need some money.” Farrah explained. “Take this and sell the jewellery off, it should be enough for you to live with for a while.”

Mattie gawked at the amount of riches that filled the bag, but when Farrah held out the bag further, gesturing for Mattie to take it, she looked back at the tiefling.

“But...don’t you need it too? You don’t have to—”

“I have enough, just take it.” Farrah insisted, and so Mattie reached for the bag, taking it off the tiefling’s palms.

The satyr clutched onto the bag, and before Farrah could say anything else, she spoke up.

“Thank you, Farrah!” Mattie sent her a bright beaming smile. “You’re a great person!”

The last part of Mattie’s reply made the tiefling stand still in shock. 

Nobody has ever told her that before.

“I…..what?” Farrah mumbled out. “What’d you say?”

“.....you’re a great person?” Mattie repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

“I’m….not…” Farrah tried to respond, but she’s at a loss for words after she heard the sentence.

“You gave me some of your money! I think that proves you’re a good person?” Mattie reasoned.

“Well….you deserved it for fighting off those bandits…”

“Still doesn’t change the fact you purposefully offered it to me!”

“You gotta survive out here somehow, that was just to—”

“You were worried about me!” 

“I….” Farrah couldn’t continue to debate the satyr, and soon fell silent after their explanation.

Was she….actually caring for the satyr?

“Farrah?” Mattie called out to the tiefling, who seemed to be frozen in place right after they had made their stunning revelation.

“.....whatever, take that however you like, kiddo.” 

“I’m still not a kid!” Mattie reminded the tiefling, who raised an eyebrow at their comment.

The two had reached a standstill with their conversation, but before the satyr could officially part ways with the tiefling, Farrah was finally reminded of what she intended on doing before her train of thought got completely derailed by Mattie’s compliment.

Soon, Farrah reached for the flower crown on her head, wanting to return it to Mattie.

However, Mattie quickly caught onto what she was trying to do, then immediately stopped her in the process of taking the crown off.

“Keep the flower crown, you look good with it!” Mattie placed a hand on Farrah’s arm, making her pause.

“I really don’t deserve it—”

“I insist!” Mattie told the tiefling. “I’m not taking it back, and that’s that!”

Farrah stopped trying to reach for the flower crown, and snickered at the satyr.

“Y’know, for someone who’s saying they’re not a kid, you sure act like one a lot.”

“T-that’s….” Mattie stuttered at the tiefling’s remark.

“I’m joking.” Farrah reassured the satyr, patting their head as she showed a bigger, more heartfelt smile at Mattie.

“Stay safe, Mattie.”

With that, the tiefling turned back to her sister, officially leaving the satyr back with Reese.

“I will!” Mattie yelled back at the tiefling, waving them goodbye.

After the two had finished their exchange, Mattie went back to Reese’s side. She held out the bag gifted from Farrah, then showed the shifter what was inside.

“Holy sh—” Reese gasped out loud at the sight of all the jewels and gold inside the small bag. “She gave us this much?!”

“She said we’d need it for later.” Mattie grinned, then hid the bag away from the shifter. “Well, where are we off to?”

“Let’s explore for a bit! We’ll have to find a place to sell those off anyways!” Reese suggested, to which Mattie replied with an excited nod.

Unlike the forest they’ve spent so much time living in, the town was filled with all sorts of different sights, people and noises. There weren’t fields of flowers, no more abundance of trees had surrounded them, and they were trapped by the sea of people commuting through the streets.

Still, the experience was new to the two, and they had fun roaming through the town with no clear objective. They admired the shop displays, gawked at the statues built throughout the town, and everything seemed great for the two.

The duo’s exploration might’ve gone on for hours, but they didn’t exactly keep track of the time. All they knew now was that they somehow ended up in the centre of the town, the sounds of someone standing on the stage caught their attention, and the two blended in with the crowd to listen to the announcer.

The person on stage ordered someone to bring up a few pieces of papers onto the stage, and they stood side by side. 

Mattie wasn’t expecting this turn of events, but as the announcer began their speech, the papers were shown to the crowd, and in the papers….it showed pictures of Annleigh, Clark and Farrah.

Matte and Reese both froze at the sight of the pictures, and the satyr’s hearing muffled, she could only hear the following lines clearly before bolting away from the sea of people.

“A bounty has been placed on these individuals, a large sum shall be rewarded for the human and tabaxi’s capture. As for the tiefling….”

“They are to be slain on sight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cairo: Elf sorcerer  
> Riley: Human sorcerer  
> Chess: Aasimar knight  
> Kate: Half-elf bard  
> Mattie: Satyr ranger  
> Reese: Shifter druid  
> Annleigh: Human cleric  
> Clark: Tabaxi cleric  
> Farrah: Tiefling monk  
> Eva: ?????


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: drinking, violence and injuries, blood

Everyone went their separate ways after they reached the town. They all shared a few more exchanges between splitting up, but after that, Cairo was once again alone with only Riley by her side.

The redhead bid the others farewell, and Cairo watched from the distance.

The sorcerer didn’t think interacting with the others was necessary anymore, they’ve reached their destination, their deal is done, and she’s allowed to go back to her own ways now.

Now, the two have to keep on moving. Run as far as possible, find a place where they won’t be looked for.

Cairo checked the map Reese had drafted for her, the shifter was more familiar with the area surrounding the forest, so she offered it to the sorcerer to help them figure out where they’re heading next. It was as messy as it gets, but Cairo supposed it was because the shifter didn’t have much time to prepare.

Even though it seemed as if they’ve traveled a long distance, they still can’t get off guard. Running was their only choice, it was the only thing they could do now.

“Cai?” The other sorcerer called out, skipping close to Cairo as she examined the map. Riley tapped her chin as she took a closer look at the piece of paper, the two deep in thought while they scanned over the area.

“We should leave as soon as possible.” Cairo spoke up, carefully rolling up the map and storing it in her bag. Riley hummed out an agreement, and they two were on the move once again.

Riley followed her partner, and the two traversed through the crowds, staying close to each other as they did. The town was filled with chatter. The people were all conversing and gossiping, something the two weren’t used to hearing.

Cairo tried to ignore all the noise, but Riley couldn’t help to listen in to a few of the people’s conversations.

“We better be wary around these parts, I heard there’s a thief going around towns recently.” One specific exchange made the sorcerer pause for a moment. Riley stood near the group talking about the topic, and Cairo turned back to usher their companion.

“Thieves aren’t exactly rare, they’re a dime a dozen! No need to fear them that much…”

“I know, but I heard about this one breaking into some rich folk’s homes, then disappearing before the guards can even notice! And we’re talking about those super wealthy ones, maximum security and everything.”

“Really? This one must be pretty good then.”

“Yeah, a lot more people have been reporting about stolen goods, must be their doing as well.”

As their gossip continued, Riley subconsciously held onto her belongings with a firmer grip. Just as the group were about to continue, Cairo finally had enough of her friend ignoring her, then walked over to the sorcerer.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Cairo reached for Riley’s arm, and the redhead’s attention snapped back to the other sorcerer.

“But—” Riley tried to reason with their friend, and just as she was about to inform her of her findings, the group switched to another topic.

“Oh, did you hear about that new bounty? Maybe those are the thieves!” One of them pointed out their discovery, but was immediately shot down by an argument from another person in the group. “If their faces were found out that easily, then I doubt they’re the rumoured thief. I’ve never even heard of anyone seeing that thief’s face!”

Right as the two sorcerers were about to question the bounty they mentioned, fearing it might be about them, their suspicions were cleared by yet another member of the group.

“There’s a hefty amount of rewards in the bounty, wanna give it a shot?”

“Gods no! We’d have to kill a tiefling! Don’t you know how hard that is?”

“Well, we could still capture the other two! A human and a tabaxi, I don’t see how hard that is!” They rebutted their party member’s statement, which may have seemed normal to any other passerby, but Riley froze at the mention of the three individuals being hunted.

A human, a tabaxi, and a tiefling.

Those words alone were enough for Riley to put together who exactly they are.

Annleigh, Clark, and Farrah.

The realisation made time stop in an instant. Riley’s heart dropped immediately, and Cairo noticed the groundbreaking discovery she had just made. 

Thus, the two stood side by side, without a single word uttered between them.

They weren’t the only ones being chased. Not anymore.

A minute passed, a minute for them to process what they knew now. It felt like an eternity for the two before they could finally speak up.

Riley struggled out a few words while she lost her grip on what she was holding, she tried to mutter something out with a lump in her throat.

“We...have to go back for them.”

Cairo gritted her teeth, her eyes locking with Riley’s.

“You can’t be serious.”

A beat of silence passed between them.

“I am.”

A sigh left the other sorcerer’s mouth. Cairo knew that she wouldn’t be able to convince Riley anyways. She’ll achieve her goals no matter what, something Cairo learnt about the girl a long time ago.

If she decides to help them, then there’s no going back.

The two had to move again, they pushed through the crowds, frantically searching.

This time, they’re off to find the three.

~~||~~||~~

The knight and the bard roamed through the town, without exchange of any kind between them.

Kate had one hand clenching onto the strap of her guitar, and the other buried into her pocket. Their ferret familiar climbed out of their hood and wrapped themselves around Kate’s neck, its head placed onto her shoulder. The bard had a vexed expression while they surveyed the streets, ignoring any eye contact with the knight.

Chess scanned over the shops, all lined up neatly on the road. In her mind, she wanted to speak up, but as the silence dragged on, she couldn’t find the right way to bring up a topic.

The duo were surrounded by a lively atmosphere, but they kept a grim appearance.

Kate got tired of standing around, doing nothing but wandering clueless, so she took out a bag containing the jewellery she had taken from the bandits. She fiddled with the strings of it, then soon pulled the bag open.

“We can’t keep doing this.”

The bard’s voice made the knight’s heart skip a beat, the silence between them was broken, but it only made the air around them feel even more tense.

Still, the knight braced themselves for anything that comes up.

They are going to talk things out. Right here, right now.

They’ve been lifelong friends, a small little dispute will never ruin their bond.

A phrase repeated in Chess’s head. A phrase that she’s been telling the bard ever since their childhood.

They’re going to be fine.

“What do you mean?” Chess responded, and Kate pulled her over to the side of the street.

“I….dunno…?” Kate stammered out, her hand swaying as she replied. “We need to talk. We just….can’t keep ignoring what happened.”

Chess crossed her arms, leaning back to a wall. “Well….yeah.”

“So…”

“I know….that you were worried about me. I appreciate that you tried to help, but I could’ve handled myself yesterday.” Chess began, the bard listening attentively with an apologetic glint in her eyes. “Farrah was just being wary, that doesn’t mean she was going to attack me.”

“She was drunk, who knows what she could’ve done?!” Kate argued back.

“I could’ve calmed her down. I could’ve gotten her to settle down. It’s my duty to help others, no matter their race. That includes helping her.” Chess remained calm as she explained further. “Like Annleigh said, it takes some time for her to warm up to others.”

“I….” Kate trailed off, a clear frown shown on her face.

“I just didn't want you to get hurt.” She looked away. “.....sorry.”

The following seconds were spent in silence, but the silence they shared wasn’t the same as before. Chess took a moment to recollect her thoughts, then let out an endearing sigh.

“I know, Kate. I know you were only trying to protect me.” She slowly reached over to the bard’s wrist, specifically the one with the bracelet. The knight guided the bard to move their arm up, positioning the bracelet next to Chess’s own variant. “But I don’t want you to get hurt either. I’d hate to see my closest friend get injured.”

“You...do?” Kate mumbled out, tucking her hair back with her free arm.

“Of course.” Chess smiled, and gradually the bard’s frown had disappeared.

Like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders, the two could finally settle the events that unfolded yesterday, and everything seemed to be at peace for the two adventurers.

“It doesn’t matter where we are. You’re my best friend, whatever happens, nothing is going to change that.” The knight reassured their partner, who kept their eyes on the pair of matching bracelets.

Right as they began to walk back to the streets, the knight added onto their statement.

“I promise.”

The bard paused after their sentence.

“Don’t make promises you can’t hold up.” She responded, stepping back out to the streets. Chess shrugged to herself, then followed the bard out. 

They began to stroll through the town yet again, although the mood around them had gotten better, the response Kate had given lingered in Chess’s mind. Well, the knight didn’t say anything else surrounding the topic, but she’s sure that she won’t break the promise.

Unlike all the towns they’ve been through, this one seemed to be filled with indistinguishable chatter, the environment was loud, noisier than any other town or village they’ve explored.

Despite that, they could recognise one clear sound. The sound of a trumpet, followed by an announcer standing at the centre of a stage.

It caught their attention, but the bard didn’t care enough to listen to the whole declaration. Nevertheless, with a gentle pull on their sleeves, the knight stopped her from proceeding any further.

“What?” Kate whirled back to face the knight, whose gaze was fixated onto the stage.

“Chess, what—” She tried to get the knight to respond, but her questioning was drowned out by the abrupt yell of the announcer.

“As for the tiefling, they are to be slain on sight.”

A tiefling….?

Kate whipped her head over to the stage, her mouth opened wide as she saw the three individuals depicted in the pictures one of the presenters held out.

Right on cue, Chess darted away from the scene, leaving Kate to stand in shock.

The bard forced their legs to move, and before she could even process everything happening, she hustled over to the knight’s side.

The bard and the knight just can’t catch a break.

Here they are now, scampering around town to find the people they left just a few hours ago.

~~||~~||~~

“Come on, we need to keep moving.”

As Clark spoke, he looked around the streets quickly and warily. Annleigh was in the same state. Farrah kept her head down, fiddling with her newly refilled flask, occasionally taking a sip.

The trio steadily ignored the stares directed at Clark and Farrah.

They couldn’t afford to stay in this town very long. It was why their farewells to the others had been faster than they hoped for. Part of why Farrah had given the jewelry over to Mattie.

They were being searched for. All three of them knew it.

They were traveling for a reason. They had met the others for a reason. They were on the run.

“They’ll have gotten the bounties out by now.” Annleigh murmured, agreeing with Clark’s earlier words.

Farrah huffed. “It’s only been a few days.”

Clark sighed, shaking his head. “A few days is all they need.”

“Which is why we need to get supplies and leave for the next town immediately.” Annleigh said, pacing forward slightly. She was playing with her hair anxiously.

Farrah stayed back as Clark moved after Annleigh. She was back far enough that the crowd covered the conversation she would normally hear with her sensitive ears.

Clark paced forward, moving in front of her and taking Annleigh’s hands in his own, furred hands. “Hey, it's all going to be okay…” Clark soothed, ears flicking. “We’ll make it as far as we need to go until we’re safe. Until Farrah is safe.”

Annleigh took a deep breath, pressing her head forward until it was resting against Clark’s. “Oh Clark… what if they catch us before we do? You know they want Farrah dead! Clark, I don’t know what I would do if Farrah—!”

“Shhh…” Clark hushed her as Annleigh moved to keep rambling. “I know. I know… but we won’t let them get to her. I won’t let them.”

Annleigh let out a watery laugh. “You aren’t a fighter, Clark.”

Clark pulled back to grin at her. “Doesn’t stop me from protecting my girlfriend and her sister, now does it?”

Annleigh laughed and Clark beamed at his success. His smile became softer and he continued. “You’re a good sister Annleigh… even if you two don’t get along.”

Annleigh’s small smile dimmed to a frown. “Clark, Kate was right.”

“No, she was wrong. So wrong.”

“We always argue—!”

“Every sibling fights. That’s okay…”

“Not as much as we do…”

“Farrah… she’s been through a lot. You know that.” Clark said, giving a sad glance to the tiefling. “People usually have reasons for drinking, Farrah has a lot of them.”

Annleigh sighed, the memories of one certain day coming back again. “If that day hadn’t happened, if I didn’t force her to come with me…”

“Hey, no… don’t blame yourself. Don’t ever blame yourself.” Clark shook his head, cupping Annleigh’s cheeks now. “You couldn’t have known that would happen.”

“I can’t help but blame myself, Clark.” Annleigh whispered, a sorrow in her eyes as she leaned into Clark’s hands. “That one day lead to everything. Her drinking… them wanting—!”

Clark shook his head. “Honestly, babe? I think they would have tried to kill her even without what happened.”

Annleigh sighed deeply, nodding her agreement. “They never did like her… I think that’s why she was always my little shadow when we were kids.”

Clark smiled softly. “She still loves you, you know. You’ll always be her sister who loved her when no one else did.”

Annleigh opened her mouth to speak. But before she could, Farrah was speed walking to them, reaching their side quickly. Neither tabaxi nor human had time to ask questions.

“Hey guys…” Farrah muttered, ears pinned down. Her eyes were wide and locked into something. “Don’t look now but I think the bounties are out.”

Sure enough, a man was pointing at them frantically, talking to the guards. And then, the guards came making their way towards them.

Clark and Annleigh's eyes both widened. “Time to go.” The former said quickly. They began to walk away, upon hearing a shout behind them the trio broke into a run. The guards were quickly giving chase.

Townspeople began to move out of the way with yelps and cries of alarm. The trio ignored them, quickly moving down the street, staying close. They came to a slower run soon enough, the guards yelling still heard in the distance.

Annleigh bit her lip. They wouldn’t get away unless… 

“We need to split up!” Annleigh called.

Farrah and Clark both stopped in their tracks, staring at her with wide eyes.

“What?! No! We need to stay together!” Farrah snapped.

“If we stay together they’ll catch us...” Clark agreed solemnly. His ears had fallen and he met Annleigh’s eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Annleigh said just as sadly. “I don’t want to split up but we have to.”

“We meet at the eastern gate.” Clark tilted his head in that direction. “Promise me you’ll be okay.”

“I promise.” Annleigh practically whispered, taking hold of Clark’s hands. “Can you promise me?”

“I promise.” Clark repeated Annleigh’s words. He shared a long look with Farrah and then the tabaxi was vanishing down an alley.

That left the sisters staring at each other. Farrah was glaring at her, refusing to budge.

“Farrah—!”

“Hell no.”

“Farrah, they want you dead!” Annleigh couldn’t stop herself from yelling. “They want Clark and I back alive, they can’t afford to lose us so easily. But you? You heard the bounty.”

Farrah glanced back at the approaching guards and then at Annleigh again. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Farrah. Go.” Annleigh pushed. Annleigh didn’t want to split up, but they needed to.

Farrah gave her one last stare. “You better stay safe.”

And then with that, the tiefling was off, rushing down the street. Annleigh watched her run before turning to another street.

As Farrah vanished around the corner and the guards grew closer, Annleigh took off, calling the guards attention to her as she went. As she ran, she pulled out her rapier, murmuring a prayer. “Gods above, I have always been faithful to you. Hear me now and keep them safe. Please… I can’t lose them…”

Using whatever remaining time she had left, Annleigh bolted past all the stalls and stores in her way, weapon in hand so she could fight off the guards pursuing her.

More shouting and yelling followed her, yet most of the attention was placed on the tiefling.

She could only hope for Farrah’s safety now.

Right after turning another corner, a few figures came close to grabbing the human.

Annleigh could feel an arm almost reaching her back, but before she could retaliate, the only sound that followed after was a huge thud.

Her panicked eyes stared at what was behind her.

Two pairs of familiar eyes stared back.

Standing behind her was Mattie and Reese, along with a guard knocked over on the ground.

“You—” Annleigh tried to speak, but the sight of more guards rounding the corner of the street was enough to get her to pause.

“No time, let’s go!” Mattie managed to huff out, grabbing a new arrow from the quiver on her back and loading it onto her bow.

“Hop on!” Reese told the two before shifting into a tiger. 

Just as she ordered, both of them climbed onto her back. Annleigh sat down in the front and Mattie kneeling behind so she could hold off their pursuers.

With the ranger fending off the guards behind them, the three rushed out of the area.

The group dashed through several streets, and after a while of trying to lose the guards, Mattie didn’t find any more people chasing them. She immediately notified the others, and they huddled over to an alleyway to catch their breath.

Annleigh kept her rapier close, but it seemed the two were not planning to turn her in.

“Are you okay?” Mattie asked, stepping to the cleric’s side, her concern for the human clearly shown in her tone.

“Y-yeah…” She huffed out in between gasps, wiping the sweat off of her forehead.

“They might catch up with us.” Reese reminded the two, peeking around the corner to survey the area. “We have to start moving again.”

“I have to get to the eastern gate, that’s where Farrah and Clark are heading.” Annleigh informed the two with a determined stare.

“That’s not too far from here, we’ll get there soon enough.” Mattie recalled passing by the gate, which Reese hums in agreement to. “I can’t shift again though, it’ll draw us more attention.”

“Right.” Mattie nodded, then turned to face the cleric. “Ready?”

“You two don’t have to, I’m sorry I dragged you into this but—”

“You’re our friend! We won’t let you get caught, not on our watch!” The shifter pointed out, interrupting the cleric’s apology with a bright smile.

“Time to go.” Mattie told them, the sight of more guards approaching alerted them. 

The three started to sprint again, now with a clear objective, a destination only a few more streets away from them.

Their escape went smoothly for the most part, and they could see the eastern gate in front of them…..

However, things don’t always go right for Annleigh.

With her stamina rapidly draining, her running slowed and she couldn’t keep up with the satyr and the shifter.

Her goal was seconds away from her.

She tried to push herself from running further, nothing but the adrenaline rush given to her during the situation boosting her through.

Annleigh was focused on the gate. 

The place where she would meet up with her sister and boyfriend, the place where they could escape.

A few more steps and she’ll be safe.

Nothing apart from the gate was on her mind.

And that proved to be her downfall.

Right as the cleric passed by another alleyway, a figure had suddenly tackled her.

The throbbing pain of it all set in, and it overtook each and every one of her senses.

~~||~~||~~

Clark left the two sisters, then proceeded to rush down to an alleyway.

He checked behind himself, and soon he couldn’t see his two companions anymore. Luckily for him, he also couldn’t find a lot of guards or pursuers behind him.

With that reassurance in mind, he continued down the alleyway and made his way to another street. The cleric carried no weapons, which helped him move faster down the road, but he also had no method to defend himself other than his paws. It had to suffice, he wasn’t one for violence anyways.

The tabaxi blurred down the road, civilians gaping and shouting as he ran through any obstacle in his way.

Vaulting past a stall, he made a swift right turn, and began surveying the area around him. Looking for any sign that could lead him to the eastern gate.

What he found instead was a large crowd, blocking the path in front of him.

He skidded to a halt, immediately turning back to the road that led him down there, but the sight of a group of guards had made him stop again.

The tabaxi was stuck between a crowd and the group of guards, no other escape route available.

It seemed the odds were against him every way, but he still chose to get into a fighting stance.

He made a promise to Annleigh, and he will do his best to fulfill the human’s wishes.

One of the guards, which Clark assumed to be the leader of the group, commanded him to hand himself over. The other guards all had their weapons ready, swords drawn, arrows loaded, all aimed at him and him only.

After a beat of silence passed, the guard chuckled at Clark’s refusal.

“Fine then. Have it your way, I’m sure we can get away with...a couple of minor injuries.” The leader sneered, then gestured for the other guards to launch their attack.

Just as the guards were about to release their barrage of arrows at the tabaxi, a strong breeze began brewing behind the tabaxi, causing the crowd to disperse and the arrows to miss their target.

“What the—” The lead guard exclaimed, but his sentence was cut short by a fury of flames being sent towards their squadron.

Clark stepped back at the sight of the spells being cast, and he stood gasping at the fire growing stronger around the guards, only to have a shout from behind pull him back from his trance.

“Move!” Clark whipped around to find the source of the voice calling for him.

Riley and Cairo, the two sorcerers stood behind the tabaxi, wielding their staffs and ready to defend the cleric.

Making a split second decision, Clark dashed over to the two’s side, and the three began to run, but not before Cairo sent another wave of flames towards the guards behind them, causing them to be slowed down and distracted significantly.

“To the eastern gate!” Clark told the two, who nodded at his request.

The three sprinted further down the road. Riley used her magic to push away all the people and objects in their path, and they proceeded past several rows of buildings.

The more he ran, the more his throat burned up. 

The cleric was never built for running. He was never used to fighting, but life left him no choice but to do both.

Still, the promise between him and his girlfriend motivated him to run.

He couldn’t wait to see Annleigh and Farrah again.

Riley stayed up ahead, clearing their path while Cairo kept occasionally checking if their pursuers had gotten any closer. The fire spell she casted seemed to have pushed the guards far behind, but a sudden rain of arrows had caught the three off guard.

Cairo scanned the rooftops of the buildings near them. There were archers set up upon them and they were all focused on them.

She sent a few more spells towards the archers, causing some to duck under the roof.

As for Clark and Riley, they kept their gazes fixed in front of them.

The shower of arrows soon depleted, but one stray arrow managed to avoid the wrath of Cairo’s flames.

Something pierced into the cleric’s shoulder, causing him to let out a pained cry.

Cairo and Riley turned their attention to Clark, and they found an agonising sight.

Fresh red blood soon flowed down from his newly acquired wound, and in the middle of it, the ends of an arrow stuck out.

Cairo muttered a curse out, and Riley instantly decided to turn towards an alleyway instead.

The two followed, and so the three were now hidden under the shadows.

The tabaxi panted, the pain was unbearable, and it took all the strength within him to not scream at that exact moment.

“Shit.” Cairo grunted. “Can you heal it?”

“Not without removing the arrow first.” Clark huffed out, keeping his paw close to the wound.

“Then….” Riley trailed off, staring onto the arrow. “We have to pull it out!”

“Wait—” Cairo reacted almost immediately, fixing a worried gaze to the other sorcerer. “We don’t know how to do that! We’ve never pulled an arrow out before, especially not from a living, breathing person!”

“Well, no better time to learn than now!” Riley tried to give the other a smile, which only managed to baffle them more. 

“If this fails, his blood is on your hands.”

“It’s just an arrow in the shoulder, probably won’t be fatal!” The redhead brushed off their comment, then moved over to the cleric’s side, who was visibly agitated and worried from the two’s exchange.

Cairo sighed at the other sorcerer’s insisting, then moved to Clark’s side as well, putting a hand onto his unharmed shoulder. Patting it lightly while looking away from what’s about to happen to the other shoulder.

“I tried to warn her.” Cairo noted. “Not my fault if it hurts like hell.”

“That’s so reassuring.” Clark quipped with a sarcastic tone.

“Stop making it sound like this’ll kill him!” Riley told Cairo, who scoffed at her order. The redhead focused onto the arrow and gripped onto it. “Ready?”

“Maybe we should reconsider—”

Just as the cleric was about to persuade them into choosing another method, Riley pulled the arrow out, the tip of it covered in blood.

Clark bit onto his lip, trying his best to silence his scream.

Soon, his cry devolved into him trying to curse.

“FU—” He attempted to cuss, but right when he realised it, he tried to play it off.

“Fff….fiddlesticks.” He whimpered out, pressing his paw onto the open wound and casting a spell on it, leading to an aura surrounding it and the wound gradually closing up.

“Just say fuck like a normal person.” Cairo commented, stepped away from the tabaxi.

“See? That was painless!” Riley cheered at her own handiwork, causing the two to stare at the sorcerer, one gaze more bitter than the other.

“Pretty sure that was extremely painful.” Cairo replied to the redhead, who returned their comment with an awkward smile.

“Um….well I think we should start moving again.” Riley reminded the two.

“Right.” Cairo agreed, peeking around the corner to find guards around the area, all looking for them. 

She then turned back to the cleric. “Can you heal it while running?”

“I...can try…?”

“Good enough.” She deadpanned as Riley offered to help the tabaxi up.

“Then let’s go….before something happens.”

~~||~~||~~

Farrah ran.

Just like Annleigh told her to do. She left her sister behind… so now, she wouldn’t disappoint her request.

She wanted to turn and fight, use every ounce of ki she had, but Farrah wasn’t stupid. There were too many guards and too little time. She had no choice but to keep running.

Her flower crown got lost in the commotion and Farrah apologized to Mattie in her head. She wondered if Mattie would ever even know.

The alcohol was still fresh in her system and she wasn’t quite tipsy yet, the effects not having kicked in. But Farrah was suddenly afraid she had made a grave error in drinking a few minutes ago. She’s gotten better fighting drunk, but running? She hadn’t fully tested that one yet.

The monk ran past stalls, ignoring startled screams. And then she ducked into the alleyways. She needed to lose the guards. Lose them and reach the eastern gate.

The guards stuck close to her tail, their shouts and yells remaining in earshot. And it seemed wherever Farrah turned there was another there.

It was like every guard in town was after her.

She cursed under her breath as she turned a corner, only to see guards rushing towards her. She turned and went the opposite way, scarf fluttering behind her.

She tripped over a plank and hit the ground. “Son of a bitch!” She yelled out as she scrambled back to her feet and kept running.

There was a laugh behind her, far too close for comfort. Armor clinking slammed loud in Farrah’s ear.

Adrenaline fueled her and she reached the main street. Maybe the crowd was still there, maybe she could lose them in it.

But right as she reached the opening and moved to join the crowd, something slammed into her from the side. There were yells and shrieks from the crowd as they scrambled away from the scene, but formed a ring to see what was going on.

Farrah groaned, the hit taking the wind out of her. She moved to push herself up but something grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back.

Shit, the guards.

There were shouts of commands from several different people and before Farrah could even try to break free from the first person, more joined, pinning her completely to the ground.

Farrah struggled for a moment, yelling at them and thrashing, but then a boot struck her head and she stilled, the word blurring and stars entering her vision.

“Damn Jones, what’d she do to you?”

“Hah, it’s not like she’ll be alive much longer!”

“You sure the captain didn’t want us to bring her with the other two?”

“Orders are orders. She’s supposed to be dead here and now.”

The end of a dagger pressed against her head and Farrah inhaled sharply. It was aiming, only proven when it pulled back slightly.

Farrah closed her eyes and began to count instead of think. 1… 2… 3… 

She didn’t want to think about Annleigh, about how distraught she would be. She didn’t want to think about how she wished she could have been better, as a person and a sister. She didn’t want to think about how maybe things would be better if she didn’t look like a demon, if she didn’t lash out like one on the day that changed everything. She didn’t want to think about Mattie and Reese.

There was yelling again.

“Do it, Mason!”

“Sir—!”

“Do it or I’ll take that dagger myself and put it in your head first!”

9… 10… 11… She wondered if the gods Annleigh adored so much would welcome her.

She felt the air coming towards her as the dagger was plunged down. But just then, a commotion broke out.

There was the sound of metal on metal, something hitting the dagger away? Followed by yelling from the guards. Music?

The grip on her loosened but Farrah was still dizzy from the kick. She didn’t have to worry about them, for seconds later they were thrown away from her.

Farrah moved to try and push herself up. Things were a little clearer now and her mind repeated the fact that she needed to run. Needed to reach the eastern gate.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay now Farrah.”

A far gentler grip rested on her shoulder and helped her sit up. Farrah blinked, processing who was in front of her.

Chess was kneeling in front of her, golden eyes lit with concern. Kate stood with her back to them, guitar at the ready. The townspeople began to evacuate at sight of the two newcomers who had taken out the guards.

Farrah mustered a small glare at Chess but didn’t fight back as the knight helped her. Chess’s fingers reached up to the side of Farrah’s head and the tiefling hissed as she pressed lightly, creating a stinging effect.

When Chess’s hand pulled back there was some blood on the bed of her fingertip. She frowned. “Metal boot. I’m sorry we couldn’t reach you before that happened.”

She reached into the pouch she kept on her belt and pulled out cloth, pressing it to Farrah’s injury. “Hold that there for a minute but then we need to move.” Chess murmured.

“I can do it.” Farrah snapped, but it lacked it’s usual venom. Chess only nodded and let Farrah hold the cloth instead, keeping a close eye on the tiefling.

It was a few seconds later that the group heard heavy footsteps approaching.

“Chess, guards incoming!”

As she spoke Kate had tensed, fingers resting on the strings ready to play. Chess stood up, pulling her shield and sword out. Sure enough, back up for the fallen guards were getting closer.

Farrah pushes herself to her feet, hand pressed against the wall she had been leaning against. She continued to hold the cloth against her head for another few seconds before tossing it aside and joining Chess, getting into a stance.

Chess blinked at her. “Farrah—!”

“I’m going to fight.” Farrah said simply.

She may have a head injury, she may be tipsy, but whatever the case Farrah wasn’t going to let it hold her back. She was going to fight. No more running. She would fight and find Annleigh and Clark.

“You’re hurt!” Chess tried to insist.

Farrah gave her a small glare. “I’m fighting. Just because I got hit on the head doesn’t mean I can’t fight.”

Chess watched her closely as the guards got closer and closer. Chess finally nodded, turning back to the enemy. “Alright… just stay close.”

“Whatever, aasimar.” Farrah muttered right as the guards reached them.

Battle broke out quickly, Chess and Farrah darting past Kate. The bard began to play a melody that increased their speed, letting the duo slam into the knights faster than they could counter.

From there, it was a quick battle. Strength and speed boosts allowing blessed and cursed to swiftly overpower the small group of guards.

“We need to go.” Chess said as she slammed the but of her sword against the last guard’s temple, still alert.

“We agreed to meet at the east gate.” Farrah said quickly, looking in that direction.

“To the east gate then.” Chess nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “But if we run through town recklessly we’re going to get caught.”

“Well we need to get there somehow!” Farrah replied, glaring at Chess.

“Up.”

There was a pause, both heads turning to stare at Kate. The bard gave them a smirk. “We go up to the rooftops. It would be hard for the guards to follow us up there.”

Chess nodded, looking just as confident as Kate did now. “Well, it’s the best idea we have.” She glanced at Farrah. “Do you think you can handle it?”

Farrah gave her a sneer. “I can handle myself, aasimar.”

“You almost—!”

“I’m fine.” Farrah cut her off, looking back to Kate. The bard was glaring at her. “How do we get up?”

“Follow me.”

Farrah steadily did her best to ignore the dizziness in her vision and the nausea curling in her stomach. The nausea wasn’t just because of her head… she almost died. For a second time…

No. That was a breakdown for later. When she was alone and not in front of other people. Hide the pain. Hide the pain she doesn’t want to feel anymore.

(She wants to be empty of emotions. It seemed like that was a constant in her life now for the short moments she wasn’t empty.)

So she followed behind Chess and Kate as they followed Kate’s path up to the rooftops and began to run.

She was fine. She was okay. And if she needed to…

Then she could always drink away the pain later.

~~||~~||~~

They soon came to a pause, Chess and Kate looking over the edge of the building, trying to find a suitable route.

Knight and bard were talking to each other, not yet paying attention to Farrah. It allowed her a few more sips from her flask.

If Annleigh could see her Farrah knew she would be scolded. Drinking with a head injury while on the run? Argument waiting to happen.

Soon enough, Chess called her name and Farrah quickly put the flask away. She didn’t want to hear it from the aasimar of all people either.

Farrah made her way over to the two. It was Kate who talked first. “We need to move. They’ll be closing the town down fully soon enough.”

Chess continued. “We have a path, just follow us, okay? Call if you need help.”

Farrah’s tail lashed angrily. “I don’t need help.” She didn’t bother to keep the slur out of her voice.

Kate opened her mouth to speak but Chess gave her a quick glance that made Kate back down.

Chess gave her a careful nod. “I know, I’m not calling you weak. It’s just an offer if you want it.”

Farrah stared at her for a long moment, eyes narrowed. “Whatever…” 

Chess relaxed slightly. It was a better response than she expected. With that, the group began to move, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Farrah wasn’t worried about falling, the alcohol giving her courage.

She followed after Chess and Kate, the duo keeping a close eye for any enemies. They had kept close for a while before they pushed ahead without fully realizing it, caught up in each other and their jumps across buildings.

There was a shout. Farrah couldn’t help but recognize the voice.

Annleigh.

Farrah peeled off from Chess and Kate. Bard and knight didn’t notice. Farrah made her way over two rooftops before coming to a halt. She looked over the edge, down into an alleyway.

Sure enough, Annleigh was there, surrounded by a group of guards. Two were holding her between them by the arms. The rest of the guards were around them.

Farrah felt a protective flame spark in her chest and she glared down at the scene, ready to spring in.

Farrah couldn’t bring herself to care about any of the still fading dizziness or her head wound as she took in the sight of her captured sister.

She paced across the roof, looking for a chance to strike.

A guard in gold armor began to speak. “Annleigh O’Daniel. Your parents would like you to come home.”

Annleigh glared at him. “As if I would go back to those monsters!”

“Monsters? From what I heard, they loved you.” The lead guard said, tilting his head.

“They tried to—!”

Annleigh jerked and Farrah saw her chance. The two guards were pulled with her arms, having to shift to keep their grasp. None of them were looking up. So Farrah stepped to the edge of the roof.

And then, Farrah dropped.

Her ki protected her from any injuries she would have gained from falling. She lunged forward, grabbing a guard holding Annleigh by the arm and spinning him around, the palm of her hand slamming up into a pressure point on his jaw, knocking him out in a second. The other one holding Annleigh had let go and moved towards her, Farrah ducked and flung him over her shoulder.

She grabbed Annleigh and pressed her sister behind her as she glared at the remaining guards.

“Farrah?!” Annleigh gaped at her.

“Don’t you dare fucking touch my sister!” Farrah snarled.

The lead guard barked out a laugh, gripping his sword tight. “Sisters?! A tiefling and a human?!”

The two only glared and the guard huffed. He pointed at them.

“Keep the human alive.” The lead guard commanded. “You know what to do about the demon.”

The four guards on either side of him rushed forward. Farrah hissed, a narrow alley was not an ideal place to fight. But all routes were cut off, there wasn’t a real choice.

She grabbed the first guard’s spear by the shaft, snapping it in her claws. She kicked him backwards before spinning, tail slamming the next guard’s sword out of his hand. He was swiftly knocked out.

Farrah turned but her reaction time was slowed, head injury and alcohol taking effect. She froze in her tracks, registering the spear that had been stuck into her stomach. At first it didn’t hurt, her mind numbed, but then it began to burn.

The guard in front of her looked triumphant as he pulled his spear back, causing Farrah to stumble and fall. The other guard raised his sword to bring it down but a rapier stabbed between his armor into his shoulder, making him yell and drop the sword.

Annleigh was quickly taking out both of the guards before they could react with several quick strikes from her rapier. She was spinning and leaning back down to Farrah’s side.

“Farrah! You’re okay…” Annleigh began to say, hands beginning to glow with her healing magic.

Only for an armored arm to grab her from behind in a chokehold, hauling her away from Farrah. Annleigh grappled with her attack, pulling at his metal covered arm. It was the guard whose spear Farrah had broken. Next to him, sword in hand, was the lead guard.

Everything was spinning and blurring for Farrah but at the sight of Annleigh she managed to push herself up, leaning heavily on the wall. “Don’t… don’t you…”

The lead guard sneered at her. “Stay down tiefling. It would be a shame for something to happen to her.”

“You need her.” Farrah wheezed. She slumped slightly, nearly slipping down the wall.

The lead guard only laughed. “As if we can’t say it was an accident. Would it be that far of a stretch to say her so-called sister, a demon in fact, killed her?”

“Coward!” Annleigh managed to get out.

The lead guard opened his mouth to speak, now pointing his sword at Annleigh.

Just then, an arrow was planted into the guard’s leg, making him yell and release Annleigh. A guitar hit the lead guard from behind, knocking him out cold.

As Chess and Kate came around one corner, Mattie and Reese came around the other.

Farrah let out a breath of relief. Despite her body’s screaming she moved forward to Annleigh. The cleric was gasping for breath, they weren’t completely choking her, but it had still been painful. She mostly recovered and quickly caught Farrah by the shoulders before she could fall, the cleric still taking deep, recovering breathes.

Reese was calling to the group as they ran. “Annleigh, are you okay?! You disappeared—!” She paused. “That’s… a lot of knocked out guards.” Her eyes lit up. “Farrah!”

The satyr’s eyes also lit up upon seeing Farrah and she was pushing ahead of Reese, slamming into Farrah and wrapping her in a hug. Farrah almost fell but Annleigh was quickly holding onto her, helping her remain standing.

“Be careful Mattie, she got hit on the head earlier.” Chess said quickly as she reached them. Mattie was backing up quickly at that and Annleigh was turning Farrah around and looking her over.

“A head wound?! She also just got stabbed!” Her sister was saying. She was trying to look at the spear wound. “Where did she get hit?”

“You just got stabbed and you’re still standing?!”

Farrah huffed. “It’s not that big a deal!” It was, in fact, a big deal. She was about to fall. The only reason she was standing was Annleigh and now Chess, who was behind her.

Chess rose a brow before looking at Annleigh again. “Her head wound is on her left side, probably still bleeding.”

Farrah felt faint. But she tried to remain standing. She wasn’t weak, she was just fine. She would show this group—

Everything blurred and tilted and there were several yelps.

“Okay!” Reese said, voice high pitched. “Time for Farrah to sit down!”

The tiefling was lowered to the floor, propped against the wall. Annleigh was quickly summoning her magic to heal Farrah, focusing on the stab wound first.

The familiar calming and soothing sensation of the magic washed over Farrah and she let out a breath of relief. The stab wound and the head wounds were slowly and carefully knit back together. The pain faded to a dull thrumming, accompanying the thrumming of the alcohol on her mind.

“I can look at it better when we get to a safe place, but it will do for now.” Annleigh told the other four, backing up and picking up her rapier from the floor. “I told you to run to the east gate, Farrah!”

A bit of energy had come back to Farrah and the tiefling glared at her sister. “I did run! I found you here captured on the way!”

“Farrah, they weren’t going to kill me!” Annleigh was yelling now. “They almost killed you! You should have run like I asked you to!”

Farrah felt that familiar heat of anger rise in her chest again.

This always happened. Annleigh always assumed she had done the opposite of what she asked. Assumed she was reckless and threw herself into danger.

Farrah bristled, climbing to her feet. “I didn’t try to fight them! I ran like you said!” Farrah deflated, staring at Annleigh. “You always fucking do this. You always assume I’ve done the worst thing possible. You always toss me aside to be with Clark instead.” She clenched her fists. (Faintly, she recognized that she didn’t mean to say any of this. Was she tipsy? Was it the wounds? Was it those damn emotions?). “Well maybe, you should go back to… to them with Clark, huh?”

Annleigh gaped at her. “Farrah! Why would I do that?!”

Farrah glared at her, almost looking disappointed. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Annleigh sighed. “Farrah, you’re drunk—!”

“That’s all I am anymore isn’t it?! A fucking drunk disappointment—!”

“Well maybe if you stopped drinking—!”

“GUYS!”

The sisters both halted, turning to Kate. The bard was glaring at them, arms crossed. “Listen, I don’t know your stories. But arguments are for later. Right now, we need to get you and Clark out of this town.”

Reese stepped forward. “Kate’s right! They’re looking for us right now…”

Farrah grit her teeth but stayed quiet, biting back the angry tears that stubbornly stuck to the corners of her eyes. She wanted to argue with Annleigh more. Release her frustration. But at the same time, she wanted to hide away and avoid Annleigh.

“We’re still heading to the eastern gate?” Chess asked, glancing around the corner of the alley.

Annleigh nodded, fidgeting with her hair. “We need to meet Clark there.”

“Right, east gate, got it!” Mattie said, mostly to herself. She quickly turned to Farrah. “I can help you there, Farrah!”

The monk stared at her for a long moment. “I can—!” She paused. She still felt rather faint, but she didn’t want the help. But then again… she would rather get help there than pass out on the way. And it was Mattie of all people. “Alright… okay.”

Reese’s eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. “Actually! I think I have a better plan!”

~~||~~||~~

A few minutes later, the group sprinted out of the alley.

Reese was a bear now, and on her back was Farrah. Mattie raced next to them. Chess, Kate, and Annleigh managed to keep pace with the duo, only a few steps behind.

They all rushed down the street, heading for the east gate that they could see in the distance.

Out from an alley off to the side came three figures. Everyone skidded to a stop, surveying each other.

Riley looked overjoyed to see them. “You’re all okay!”

“Mostly…” Farrah grunted. Sure Annleigh had healed her but she was drunk, beyond exhausted, and the blood was still stuck to her skin and clothes.

“Clark!” Annleigh was by his side in a second.

The tabaxi looked exhausted to say the least, as if he would pass out any second. The wound on his shoulder was mostly healed, but the bloodstains were still patching his fur and he still had a paw clasped over the injury.

Annleigh was quickly pulling his hand away and looking over the wound. “What happened?!”

“Stray arrow.” Clark gasped between breaths.

Riley jumped in. “We pulled it out and he’s healed most of it on the way.”

Annleigh stared at her. “You pulled it out? That’s what you shouldn’t do until you reach a safe place!”

Cairo glared at her. “There wasn’t any time! Be happy we helped him!”

“Cairo!” Riley slapped Cairo’s shoulder.

“Argue later!” Kate called. “We need to go before they close the gate!”

“Can you run?” Annleigh asked Clark.

Clark gave her a determined nod and a shaky smile. “I can make it. We just have to get through the gate.”

Annleigh gave him a slow nod as the group began to run again. The clerics stuck close, not willing to lose each other.

But as they ran, everyone felt panic surge in them at what they could see happening in front of them.

“They’re closing the gates!” Farrah shouted from atop Reese, pointing ahead.

The town was fortified due to bandits and monsters. As such they had large metal gates that were usually raised. But now, they were beginning to be lowered to the ground.

“Shit! Go!” Kate yelled as everyone pushed themselves faster.

Guards were in front of the gate, shouting and prepared to hold them back. The captain gave a cry. “Keep them back, men!”

“We won’t make it!” Clark gasped out.

“No, we will! We have to!” Riley called back, but the running took a toll on her stamina.

They had made it this far, the path out was right there. None of them would give up now.

First priority, keep the gate from lowering.

Mattie and Cairo both paused in their running. An arrow was notched and fire swirled around Cairo’s staff. Arrows and fire were launched up to the top of the wall, sending the guards scattering away from the crank lowering the gate.

The gate began to fall fast but one more arrow was fired by Mattie. With precise aim it hit a part of the exposed mechanism further down the wall. There was a creak from the metal and everyone knew the arrow would snap at any second. The arrows were sturdy, but not sturdy enough to withstand a turning piece of metal.

Chess, Kate, and Annleigh lunged ahead of the group. Kate and Annleigh began to fight against the guards, carving a path. Chess was quickly clashing swords and shields with the Captain.

Reese powered through, frame of a bear sending guards scattering from her path. Farrah was still on her back, clinging tightly and alert even with how tired and faint she looked.

Clark and Riley followed after them, taking advantage of Reese’s parting of the guards. Riley stuck to Clark’s side, still worried even after Clark had healed himself. The tabaxi looked tired himself, his wound and his magic followed by all of the running taking it out of him.

Seeing their injured companions get out, Mattie and Cairo rush past the fighting, slipping under the gate as well.

The group turned back. “GUYS COME ON!” Cairo yelled back at the remaining three.

Kate and Annleigh heard the cry and were next to them in seconds. Chess parried another blow from the captain and rushed past him. He tried to interrupt her path with a furious bellow, but Chess brought her sword up, making a gash on the unprotected part of his arm.

“CHESS!” Kate yelled. The arrow snapped and the gate was falling again, faster than before.

Chess took off at a sprint towards the gate, entering a low slide at the last second. She slipped under right before the gate closed.

The guards were yelling with fury behind them. The Captain held his arm and scowled at all of them. “Archers! Archers fire! I want that gate back up!”

The group took off again, ducking past arrows fired after them. They vanished into the woods, steadily ignoring the angry shouts behind them.

They didn’t stop moving even as the town faded from sight. Guards would give chase, they needed to get as far away as possible and as hidden as possible.

Soon enough, they finally came to a stop in a small, secluded clearing.

Everyone was panting and gasping for breath. They all collapsed to the grass, muscles burning from the fighting and running they had done. Adrenaline faded away and everyone was exhausted.

“Did we make it?”

“I think so…”

“We should be safe for now but we need to go first thing in the morning.”

As they all caught their breath, everyone looked at the trio. It was Cairo who spoke nearly everyone’s thoughts.

“What… the hell was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cairo: Elf sorcerer  
> Riley: Human sorcerer  
> Chess: Aasimar knight  
> Kate: Half-elf bard  
> Mattie: Satyr ranger  
> Reese: Shifter druid  
> Annleigh: Human cleric  
> Clark: Tabaxi cleric  
> Farrah: Tiefling monk  
> Eva: ?????


End file.
